Abstract:Objective:To observe the effect of berberine on high-fat diet induced mice chronic kidney injury and the macrophages in the kidney. Methods:A total of 30 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the normal control group, high-fat diet group and berberine treatment group. At the end of experiment,the mice were sacrificed. Blood,urine and kidney tissue were collected. Blood was used for detecting total cholesterol,triglyceride,serum creatinine,urea nitrogen,cystamin C. Urine was used for detecting 24 h urinary albumin. Pathological changes were observed by light microscope by HE staining. The expression of IL-1β and iNOS were detected by Western blot. The expressions of F4/80 and iNOS were determined by immnofluorescence staining and immunohistochemistry staining,respectively. Results:Compared with the normal control group,total cholesterol,triglyceride,cystamine C,urine volume and 24 h urinary albumin were significantly higher in the high-fat diet group (P < 0.05). The expressions of IL-1β,F4/80 and iNOS increased significantly in the high-fat diet group (P < 0.05). Compared with the high-fat diet group,the berberine treatment group showed less aggravated kidney pathological changes. The expressions of IL-1β,F4/80 and iNOS in the berberine treatment group were decreased than in the high-fat diet group (P < 0.05). Conclusion:Berberine may decrease the macrophages,especially the M1 macrophages and then intervene the chronic kidney injury induced by high-fat diet.