Evidence mapPaperPMID 33097050Full record

ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2020

Celastrol slows the progression of early diabetic nephropathy in rats via the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Yusong Nie, Chengxiao Fu, Huimin Zhang, Min Zhang, Hui Xie, Xiaopei Tong, Yao Li, Zhenyan Hou, Xinrong Fan, Miao Yan

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.7field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
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  6. Article
  7. The role of celastrol in inflammation and diseases.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2025
    Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Autophagy in the pharmacological activities of celastrol (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2023
    Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Yusong NieDepartment of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China.
Chengxiao FuCenter of Clinical Pharmacology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, China.
Huimin ZhangDepartment of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China.
Min ZhangHunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, 410208, Hunan, China.
Hui XieHunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, 410208, Hunan, China.
Xiaopei TongDepartment of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China.
Yao LiDepartment of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China.
Zhenyan HouDepartment of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University, Yantai, 264000, Shandong, China.
Xinrong FanHunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, 410208, Hunan, China. fxr1973@126.com.
Miao YanDepartment of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China. yanmiao@csu.edu.cn.
Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine · CNCentral South University · CNSecond Xiangya Hospital of Central South University · CNQingdao University · CNShaanxi University of Chinese Medicine · CNThird Xiangya Hospital · CN

Funding

the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Central South University No. 2018zzts926the National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 81903904the National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 81974532 and No. 81573686
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiabetic nephropathy serves as one of the most regular microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus and is the main factor that causes end-stage renal disease and incident mortality. As the beneficial effect and minute adverse influence of Celastrol on the renal system requires further elucidation, the renoprotective function of Celastrol in early diabetic nephropathy was investigated.

methodsIn high-fat and high-glucose diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats which is the early diabetic nephropathy model, ALT, AST, 24 h urinary protein, blood urea nitrogen, and serum creatinine content were observed. Periodic acid-Schiff staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemical analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis were used to explore the renoprotective effect of Celastrol to diabetic nephropathy rats and the underlying mechanism.

resultsHigh dose of Celastrol (1.5 mg/kg/d) not only improved the kidney function of diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats, and decreased the blood glucose and 24 h urinary albumin, but also increased the expression of LC3II and nephrin, and downregulated the expression of PI3K, p-AKT, and the mRNA level of NF-κB and mTOR.

conclusionCelastrol functions as a potential therapeutic substance, acting via the PI3K/AKT pathway to attenuate renal injury, inhibit glomerular basement membrane thickening, and achieve podocyte homeostasis in diabetic nephropathy.

Indexed as

AnimalsDiabetes Mellitus, ExperimentalDiabetic NephropathiesDisease Models, AnimalKidney GlomerulusMaleMolecular StructurePentacyclic TriterpenesPhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesPodocytesProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyStreptozocincelastrolPentacyclic TriterpenesPhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktStreptozocinAKTAutophagyCelastrolDiabetic nephropathyGlomeruli basement membranePI3KPodocytes

Identifiers

PMID33097050
PMCPMC7583204
OpenAlexW3094127010

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.