Effects of A Mixture of Astragalus Membranaceus and Angelica Sinensis on Rats with Renal Tubulo - intersititial Fibrosis

Objective: To investigate the effects of a mixture of Astragalus membranaceus and Angelica sinensis (AA)on rats with renal tubulo - interstitial fibrosis and the mechanism of it. Methods: Rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: sham group ( SH) , model group ( MD ) , ACEI treatment group ( AC) , and As. membranaceus and An. sinensis treatmenttreatment group ( AA ) . Rat models were made with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). 9 days after UUO, the expression of α-SMA in obstructed kidney were measured with immunohistochemistry. At same time, the degree of tubulo - interstitial damage ( DTD) was scored. Results: The level of α-SMA and DTD in group MD increased markedly compared with those of group SH (P 0. 01 ) . These 2 indexes in groups AC and AA decreased in comparison with those of group MD (P 0. 01) . The level of a-SMA was significantly reduced by both ACEI and AA, and there was no difference of level of a-SMA between groups of AC and AA(P 0. 05) . Conclusion:Similar to ACEI, AA may prevent fibrosis development. This might produce partly via preventing die promotion of myofibroblast.