Nephroprotective mechanism of Kunkui Baoshen decoction in diabetic kidney disease: Targeting the HERC2/NCOA4-mediated autophagy-dependent ferroptosis pathway

Figure 9 Kunkui Baoshen decoction alleviates fibrosis by inhibiting ferroptosis in vitro and in vivo. A and B: Reactive oxygen species expression and fluorescence area quantification in human kidney-2 (HK-2) cells (scale bars = 50 μm); C-E: Levels of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, malondialdehyde, and glutathione/oxidized glutathione in HK-2 cells; F-I: Western blot and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in HK-2 cells; J-N: Western blot and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses of epithelial-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin, and transforming growth factor-β1 in HK-2 cells. KKBS: Kunkui Baoshen decoction; HG: High glucose; Fer-1: Ferrostatin-1; IL-6: Interleukin-6; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; E-cadherin: Epithelial-cadherin; TGF-β1: Transforming growth factor-β1; α-SMA: α-smooth muscle actin; GAPDH: Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. ^eP < 0.05 vs high glucose group, ^fP < 0.01 vs high glucose group, ^gP < 0.001 vs high glucose group; ⁱP < 0.05 vs high glucose + ferrostatin-1 group, ^jP < 0.01 vs high glucose + ferrostatin-1 group, ^kP < 0.001 vs high glucose + ferrostatin-1 group, ^lP < 0.0001 vs high glucose + ferrostatin-1 group.