Nutritional intervention with acidic Stigma Maydis polysaccharide (ASMP-1) in membranous nephropathy: Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a glomerulonephritis characterized by C5b-9-mediated podocyte injury. Stigma Maydis is a medicinal, polysaccharide-based product derived from corn silks, traditionally used by traditional Chinese medicine physicians to treat chronic kidney disease. However, the mechanism through which Stigma Maydis polysaccharides (SMP) alleviates MN remains unclear. This study aimed to verify the potential protective effects of refined acidic SMP (ASMP-1) in vitro and in vivo. An ASMP-1 was successfully isolated by DEAE Sepharose anion exchange and Sephadex G-100 gel permeation chromatography. Our results showed that ASMP-1 suppressed oxidative stress, promoted autophagy, and repressed apoptosis. This mechanism is believed to be associated with the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Consequently, owing to its enhanced autophagic activity and resources, ASMP-1 has potential as a functional food or nutritional supplement for kidney health preservation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]