[Protective effects of Xuebijing injection on kidney in rats with sepsis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of the integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine Xuebijing injection on the kidney in rats with sepsis. METHODS: Sepsis model was reproduced in rats with cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Eighty healthy Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group, sham-operation group, CLP model group, and Xuebijing group. The two latter groups were divided into four groups of 2, 8, 24, 48-hour subgroups with 8 rats in each subgroup. Serum levels of creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), Na(+), K(+) were measured. beta (2)-microglobulin (beta (2)-MG) was determined by radioimmunoassay, urine level of Cr, Na(+), interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in renal tissue, and fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) were determined by enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA). Light microscopy was used to assess the pathological changes in kidney. RESULTS: Compared with CLP model group,the level of beta (2)-MG was significantly decreased at 2 hours in Xuebijing group (P<0.01). Similarly, serum BUN content, renal IL-6 level were lowered at 8 hours, and serum contents of BUN as well as Cr were also decreased in Xuebijing group than those in model group at 48 hours after CLP (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Xuebijing injection possesses the protective effects on the kidney in rats with sepsis, which may be related with the synthesis and release of IL-6.