Triptolide contributes to decrease in TLR4 expression by upregulating miR-224-3p to inhibit the inflammatory reaction in diabetic nephropathy.

Triptolide has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. miRNAs have emerged as important regulators of DN. However, the role of miRNAs in inflammation regulation during DN development is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of the association between miRNAs and triptolide on inflammation in DN. We found that triptolide significantly inhibits the inflammatory reactions of DN in rats, and miR-224-3p is selectively upregulated more than 2 fold in NRK-52E cells treated with triptolide compared to the cells without treatment. miR-224-3p overexpression exerts similar effects to those of triptolide, while miR-224-3p downregulation increases all the inflammatory reactions above. In summary, we found that triptolide attenuates the inflammatory reactions in DN by upregulating miR-224-3p expression.