Berberine prevents high glucose-induced cell viability inhibition and apoptosis in podocytes

Type 2 diabetics are predisposed to diabetic nephropathy (DN), a major pathological disorder leading to end-stage renal disease, which is the leading cause of premature death in diabetic patients. Podocytes are highly specialized and terminally differentiated glomerular cells that play a vital role in the development and progression of DN. Previous studies have demonstrated that berberine is clinically effective in alleviating type 2 diabetes. However, the effect of berberine on podocyte viability and apoptosis during high glucose exposure has not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we showed that a high glucose environment could inhibit podocyte viability and increase apoptotic rates, with this effect alleviated by berberine. Furthermore, berberine-treated podocytes exposed to high glucose levels exhibited significantly increased nephrin and podocin, podocyte biomarkers, mRNA and protein expression relative to the high glucose exposure group.