Shenfushu granules attenuate diabetic kidney disease by inhibiting PIK3R1/protein kinase B/heparanase-mediated endothelial-mesenchymal transition

Figure 5 Shenfushu granules inhibit glomerular endothelial-mesenchymal transition via PIK3R1. A: Western blot analysis of heparanase-1 (Hpa-1), phospho-PIK3R1 (p-p85), PIK3R1 (p85), phospho-protein kinase B (AKT) and AKT. β-actin was used as the loading control; B: Effect of Shenfushu granules (SFSGs) on the viability of human renal glomerular endothelial cells; C: Effects of different concentrations of SFSGs extract on high glucose-induced endothelial-mesenchymal transition. Western blot analysis of cluster of differentiation (CD) 31 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression. β-actin was used as the loading control; D: Representative images of immunofluorescence staining for α-SMA, CD31, and Hpa-1 (200 × magnification, scale bar: 100 μm). The data are presented as the mean ± SE (n ≥ 3). ^aP < 0.05. ^bP < 0.01. ^cP < 0.001. ¹P vs control group. ²P vs model group or high glucose group. Hpa-1: Heparanase-1; p-AKT: Phospho-protein kinase B; AKT: Protein kinase B; CD31: Cluster of differentiation 31; EndMT: Endothelial-mesenchymal transition; IF: Immunofluorescence; α-SMA: α-smooth muscle actin; HG: High glucose; DAPI: 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; SFSGs: Shenfushu granules; L: Low; M: Middle; H: High.