Bishop’s weed helps maintain integrity of kidney structure

Chinese researchers tested the renoprotective effects of an extract made from bishop’s weed (Houttuynia cordata). They reported its positive effects on kidney injuries associated with diabetes.

Support for the study came from the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The findings were published in the journal Chinese Herbal Medicines.

• The animal model was made up of seven different groups of mice, with eight mice in each group according to the applied treatment. While the model group did not receive any treatment, the others were given either metformin hydrochloride, AG490, water extract, ethanol extract, volatile oil, and a mixture of the three extracts.
• The animals were treated for a total of eight weeks. At the end of the trial period, they were sacrificed and evaluated for general status, biochemical indicators, and histological changes in their kidneys.
• The ethanol extract, volatile oil, and mixed extracts groups displayed lower serum levels of transforming growth factor beta one (TGF-?1) and fibronectin (FN). Furthermore, the kidneys of the mice treated with those extracts showed improved functions and enhanced histology. The mixture group achieved the best results.
• The kidney tissue from the model group showed much higher protein expressions of numerous antibodies associated with kidney damage.  They also showed greater genetic expression of JAK2 and STAT3 proteins.
• The treatment groups showed downregulated levels of P-JAK2 and P-STAT3 antibodies. In addition, the volatile oil and mixture groups demonstrated upregulated expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 protein (SCOS-1) proteins.

The researchers concluded that the ethanol extract, volatile oil extract, and mixed extracts derived from bishop’s weed can strengthen the functions and structure of the kidney, especially for patients with diabetes.

For more stories on herbs that can support kidney health, visit Herbs.news.

Journal Reference:

Fang Y, Shao SC, Wang HY. INTERVENTION EFFECTS OF COMPOUND HOUTTUYNIAE HERBA TO DIABETIC RENAL DAMAGE BASED ON SOCS-JAK/STAT NEGATIVE FEEDBACK REGULATION. Chinese Herbal Medicines. 2018;10(4):424–430. DOI: 10.1016/j.chmed.2018.08.005.