Abstract: AIM: To investigate the effects of blocking of p38 MAPK on the signal passway of NF-κB in glomerular mesangial cells incubated with high concentration of glucose.METHODS: Rat mesangial cells(MC) were incubated in media containing 5.5 mmol/L glucose(control group), 25 mmol/L high glucose(HG group), 25 mmol/L glucose +10 μmol/L SB203580(specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK)(SB group). Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8. Expressions of proteins of p38 MAPK and phospho- p38 MAPK in cytoplasm and nuceli were detected by phospho-ELISA method. Total NF-κB p65, activated-NF-κB p65(NLS-NF-κB), phspho-NF-κB p65(Ser276-NF-κB) in cytoplasms and nuceli were detected by Phospho-ELISA method, too.RESULTS: Compared with control group, MC in HG group showed a high growth rate, the levels of phospho-p38 MAPK in nucli and cytoplasm were increased in HG group,and the levels of NLS-NF-κB and Ser276-NF-κB in nuceli were also increased in HG group. These changes could be reversed by treatment of SB203580.CONCLUSION: Blocking of p38 MAPK could obviously down-regulate the activities of signal passway of NF-κB of MC, then inhibite the abnormal proliferation of mesangial cells.

Key words: Diabetic nephropathy, Mesangial cells, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases, NF-κB, SB203580  ,  ,  ,  ,