蟬花保護腎功能之研究

Abstract

蟬花為傳統中藥材，是由蟲草屬(Cordyceps)真菌C. cicadae、C. sobolifera 或C. cicadicola等真菌感染蟬科昆蟲幼蟲後所形成的蟲生真菌複合體。最早見於魏晉南北朝時期，使用歷史遠久於冬蟲夏草。本研究使用蟬花菌發酵液之水萃取物，以體外及體內試驗探討脂多糖引發腎臟細胞之傷害。實驗結果顯示以蟬花菌絲體水萃物餵食以LPS (Lipopolysaccharide ; E. coli O127:B8 )及gentamycin引發腎損傷之大鼠，發現蟬花菌絲體水萃物具有減緩LPS刺激後之大鼠腎臟細胞傷害，能有效改善大鼠之腎血流量(Renal blood flow；RBF)及腎絲球過濾率(Glomerular filtration rate；GFR)；對於預防gentamycin所引起之腎傷害方面，先餵食蟬花菌之大鼠，其血尿中的尿素氮及血清肌酸酐、微白蛋白(microalbumin) 及 NAG(N-Acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase)等指標值較不易上升。以蟬花菌醱酵液餵食對STZ (Streptozotocin)誘發糖尿病腎臟損傷之大鼠的保護作用之研究，發現蟬花醱酵液可以明顯的降低血糖及抑制STZ引起的TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β)蛋白過度表現之現象，腎臟中的TGF-β表現過量易增加腎臟傷害。該結果顯示蟬花菌醱酵液對於腎臟組織有保護功效及延緩傷害的功效。 Cordyceps sobolifera (CS), an economic traditional Chinese herb. may ameliorate nephrotoxicity-induced renal dysfunction in the rat via antioxidant, anti-apoptosis, and anti-autophagy mechanisms. We investigated the water extract of fermented whole broth of CS on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced renal cell injury in vitro and in vivo. We examined CS effect on LPS-induced epithelial Lilly pork kidney (PK1) and Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial (MDCK) cell death with MTT assay. Two-month CS effects on renal blood flow (RBF), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), plasma blood urea nitrogen and creatinine level and leukocytes (WBC) count were determined in the LPS-treated rats. Cs treatment decrease CsA induced apoptosis through the inhibition of caspase 3 cleaved. When CsA combined with Cs, the CsA-Cs study group had higher expression anti-apoptosis protein of bcl-2 and bax in renal tissue. Our result showed that Cs could ameliorate both renal glomerular function and renal tubule function. In addition, Long-term Cs treatment reduced LPS-induced stress responses and tissue damage possibly via blocking LPS-triggered signaling pathways. We found that Cs blocked the CsA induced apoptosis through the expression of anti-apoptosis factor in renal tubule cells.