Effect of Quercetin on Adriamycin-Induced Glomerulosclerosis: A Quantification-Based Proteomics Analysis

Abstract

Background: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is the leading cause of kidney disease worldwide. The potential effect of quercetin on glomerulosclerosis was identified using quantification-based proteomic analysis. Methods: Glomerulosclerosis was induced using adriamycin in rats treated with quercetin for 8 weeks starting on the day of adriamycin injection. Next, significant differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified through label-free quantification-based proteomic analysis of renal samples. Functional analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of quercetin on glomerulosclerosis. Results: In this study, 26,431 peptides and 5272 proteins were identified using quantification-based proteomic analysis. Clusters of Orthologous Groups analysis identified general function prediction as the only key initiation factor in the glomerulosclerosis process. Gene Ontology analysis showed that these DEPs were parsed into six major components: cell, cell part, cellular process, binding organelle, single-organism process, and metabolic process. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis revealed 803 DEPs involved in metabolic pathways. Notably, DEPs were distributed in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway at a proportion of 3.08%. We showed that quercetin substantially contributes to the protection against glomerulosclerosis through the extracellular region. Quercetin can also inhibit the progression of glomerulosclerosis through the PI3K/Akt pathway. Conclusions: These results suggest a novel therapeutic approach for glomerulosclerosis.