Protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine attenuates partial unilateral ureteral obstruction induced kidney injury in neonatal rats

The present study aimed to evaluate the renoprotective effects of chelerythrine (CHE), a protein kinase C inhibitor, on neonatal rats after partial unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) surgery. New born Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to partial UUO 48 h after birth and received a daily intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg/kg CHE. At 21-day age, the rats were scarified and the kidneys were collected for analysis. Results showed that CHE treatment significantly increased kidney weight and restored renal function in the obstructed kidney. Histological examination demonstrated that CHE attenuated renal injury by reducing renal parenchymal loss and preventing glomerular and tubular degeneration. In addition, CHE inhibited partial UUO-induced upregulated kidney injury molecule-1 expression and apoptosis and renal fibrosis. Moreover, as a PKC inhibitor, CHE significantly inhibited PKCα and PKCβ membrane translocation. This action may be associated with its effects of anti-apoptosis and anti-fibrosis and contribute to the renoprotection. This short-term study suggests that CHE is beneficial for obstructive nephropathy in neonatal rats and provides foundation for further studies to reveal the long-term effects of CHE on obstructive nephropathy in children and infants.