Anti-hyperuricemic and nephroprotective effect of geniposide in chronic hyperuricemia mice

Hyperuricemia is a key risk factor for kidney disease. Geniposide possesses various pharmacological activities, however, to our knowledge, no previous work investigated the therapeutic effect of geniposide on urate nephropathy. The present study established a chronic hyperuricemia model using a combination of adenine and ethambutol administration. The potential beneficial effects and mechanisms of geniposide on hyperuricemia and nephropathy were also investigated. The results demonstrated that geniposide significantly decreased SUA levels via inhibition of the XOD activity and increasing the excretion of urinary uric acid. Geniposide also markedly improved kidney damage related to hyperuricemia. Further investigation indicated that geniposide improved the symptoms of nephropathy via decreasing the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, PG-E2, and TNF-α, and inhibiting the expression of TGF-β1. The molecular mechanism of action may be associated with suppression of TLR4/MyD88 signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome activation to reduce IL-1β and TNF-α production respectively in hyperuricemic mice.