Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (2): 306-315.DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.02.004

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

No. 2 Kangxianling decoction (抗纤灵二号方) protects against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury by hypoxia-inducible factor activation

YU Kena1, ZHONG Liping4, LIN Xiaomeng1, CHEN Jian5, HE Liqun2,3(), CAI Xudong1()   

  1. 1 Department of Nephrology, Ningbo Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Ningbo 315000, China
    2 Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
    3 Department of Nephrology, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200013, China
    4 Department of Nephrology, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Wuhan 430000, China
    5 Department of Traditional Medicine, Shanghai Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200082, China
  • Received:2024-11-19 Accepted:2025-06-10 Online:2026-04-15 Published:2026-04-04
  • Contact: Prof. CAI Xudong, Department of Nephrology, Ningbo Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Ningbo 315000, China, xudongcai1979@hotmail.com; Prof. HE Liqun, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China; Department of Nephrology, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200013, China, heliqun59@163.com. Telephone: +86-574-89085041
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China: Research on The Pathogenesis of Renal Micro Syndrome Accumulation in Chronic Renal Failure through Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Signaling Pathway and the Anti-fibrotic Effect of Kangxianling Decoction on Gene Knockout Mice(81373615);Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation of China: Mechanism Study of Wenyangxiaozheng Decoction Alleviating Cellular Senescence and Ameliorating Renal Fibrosis by Regulating the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Protein Kinase B(LBY24H290002)

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of No. 2 Kangxianling decoction (抗纤灵二号方,No. 2 KXLD) on renal tubular injury in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (RIRI) rats and explore the mechanisms.

METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham group, RIRI group, No. 2 KXLD group, and FG-4592 group. Rats were pretreated with No. 2 KXLD (30 g·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) or FG-4592 (10 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.p.) for 7 d and then subjected to renal I/R. Serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urine nitrogen (BUN) were tested after I/R. Periodic acid-Schiff staining and tubular injury biomarkers were measured. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), inflammatory response, and B-cell lymphoma 2/Bcl-2-associated X protein/caspase-9/3 (Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-9/3) signaling were determined. We used human kidney 2 (HK-2) cells in a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model to verify the study.

RESULTS: No. 2 KXLD significantly decreased the levels of Scr by 22.4% and BUN by 19.7% at 48 h after I/R and improved the renal pathological changes in RIRI rats. No. 2 KXLD attenuated the expression of kidney injury molecule-1, neutrophil-gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 in RIRI rats and H/R-induced HK-2 cells (P < 0.05). Both in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrated that No. 2 KXLD increased hypoxia-inducible factor, erythropoietin, and heme oxygenase 1 levels, suppressed tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 expressions, and boosted Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-9/3 pathway.

CONCLUSIONS: No. 2 KXLD might have therapeutic potential on RIRI by inhibiting HIF-mediated inflammation and apoptosis, which provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of patients with renal tubulointerstitial injury.

Key words: reperfusion injury, hypoxia-inducible factor, FG-4592, renal tubular injury, No. 2 Kangxianling decoction

Cite this article

YU Kena, ZHONG Liping, LIN Xiaomeng, CHEN Jian, HE Liqun, CAI Xudong. No. 2 Kangxianling decoction (抗纤灵二号方) protects against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury by hypoxia-inducible factor activation[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(2): 306-315.