Effects of Quercetin on Renal Interstitial Fibrosis and Expression of α-SMA in UUO Rats

Objective:To observe the effects of Quercetin on the pathological changes of renal interstitial fibrosis and the expression of α-SMA in kidney of UUO rats, discuss therapeutic function and mechanism of Quercetin in renal interstitial fibrosis.Methods:36 adult healthy Wistar rats randomly divided into 3 groups (n=12): sham group, UUO group and Quercetin group. Animal were euthanized at day 10 after surgery. The content of hydroxyproline in obstructed kidney tissue was measured by chemistry colorimetry method. Histological changes were observed by HE and Masson stains. The expression of α-SMA was assessed by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis.Results:The interstitial fibrosis of obstructed kidneys was observed obviously at 10 d after UUO. The immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis indicated that obstruction significantly increased the expressions of α-SMA in renal interstitial tissue in UUO group and Quercetin group compared with sham group(P0.01).The expressions of α-SMA in renal interstitial tissue in Quercetin group significantly decreased compared with UUO group(P0.01).The content of hydroxyproline in Quercetin group was significantly lower than that in UUO group(P0.05).Conclusion:Quercetin can alleviate the pathological changes of renal interstitial fibrosis and decrease the expressions of α-SMA in UUO rats. Quercetin exert the anti-fibrosis effect in renal interstitial fibrosis, maybe through preventing renal tubular epithelial cells to transform into myofibroblast phenotype.