Dioscin shows active effects against renal
ischemia/reperfusion injury and
lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory kidney injury, however, little is known concerning the role of it on
doxorubicin (Dox)-induced nephrotoxicity. In the present study, in vivo test of Dox-induced nephrotoxicity in rats and in vitro model in NRK-52E cells were developed. The results showed that
dioscin significantly attenuated cell injury, obviously reduced ROS level in vitro, and markedly decreased the levels of BUN, Cr, MDA, and notably increased the levels of SOD, GSH and GSH-Px in rats. Mechanistic studies showed that
dioscin significantly increased the levels of p-AMPKα, Nrf2, HO-1 and GST by activation of FXR against oxidative stress. In addition,
dioscin suppressed the nuclear translocation of NF-κB and
HMGB1, and subsequently decreased the
mRNA levels of IL-1β,
IL-6, and TNF-α against
inflammation. These results were further validated by knockdown of FXR using
siRNA silencing, and abrogation of FXR using NDB (a FXR inhibitor) in NRK-52E cells, and the results suggested that the protective effect of
dioscin against Dox- induced nephrotoxicity via adjusting FXR-mediated signal to suppress oxidative stress and
inflammation. In addition, molecular docking assay showed that
dioscin directly targeted with FXR through competing with Helix12 (H12) by hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic effect and electrostatic interactions. In a word, our data showed that
dioscin is a novel and potent FXR agonist to suppress
inflammation and oxidative stress against Dox-induced nephrotoxicity.