Protective effect of lycorine hydrochloride against diabetic nephropathy in high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) poses a significant risk to individuals with diabetes. Inflammation plays a crucial role in DN pathogenesis. Lycorine hydrochloride (LH) is derived from Lycoris radiata (L'Hér.). This herb has been identified as a potent anti-inflammatory molecule. Further studies indicated that LH displayed therapeutic potential against metabolic disorders, renal dysfunction, and fibrosis in a high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced (HFD/STZ)-induced DN mouse model. Mechanistically, LH mitigated renal inflammation in DN mice by targeting NF-κB pathways and the NLRP3 inflammasome verified by in vivo study. In vitro, LH inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by nigericin (Ng), monosodium urate (MSU), and ATP, reduced caspase-1 activation, and IL-1β release. Additionally, LH suppressed the NF-κB IS-induced activation, prevented nuclear translocation of NF-κB, and subsequently reduced the expression of downstream proteins COX2 and iNOS. Collectively, these results indicated that LH primarily improved hyperglycemia-induced renal function by reducing inflammation by targeting NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome, implying it is a promising therapeutic agent for DN.