Psoralen alleviates high glucose-induced HK-2 cell injury via upregulating miR-874

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) causes the vast proportion of excess mortality for patients with diabetes. Novel therapeutic approaches slowing down its incidence is still lacking. Psoralen is the major active ingredient of Psoralea corylifolia Linn. (PCL), which was used to treat a number of diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether psoralen could alleviate DN and to explore the underlying mechanisms.Methods: Cell viability assay and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate the effect of psoralen on high glucose (HG)-stimulated human kidney HK-2 cells. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expressions of miRNA in cells. Cell transfection, apoptosis assay and Western blot were further performed to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms.Results: Psoralen alleviated HG-induced viability decrease of HK-2 cells via inhibiting apoptosis. Meanwhile, the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation induced by HG in HK-2 cells were also decreased by psoralen. In addition, the expression of miR-874 in HK-2 cells was significantly upregulated by psoralen. Western blot assays indicated that psoralen inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad2 signaling via upregulation of miR-874.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that psoralen could significantly alleviate HG-induced HK-2 cell injury via upregulation of miR-874. Therefore, psoralen might serve as an agent for the treatment of DN.