Stevioside inhibits unilateral ureteral obstruction‐induced kidney fibrosis and upregulates renal PPARγ expression in mice

This study aimed to examine the inhibitory effect of stevioside on unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced kidney fibrosis. The UUO mice were daily given 50–100 mg/kg stevioside by gavage for 14 days after the operation. The results showed that stevioside decreased the levels of blood urea nitrogen and renal hydroxyproline, severity of kidney fibrosis, and expressions of renal collagen I/III and α-smooth muscle actin proteins. Importantly, stevioside increased the expressions of renal peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and Smad7 proteins and level of renal glutathione peroxidase, decreased the expressions of renal nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), p-STAT3, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), Smad2/3, and p-Smad2/3 proteins, suggesting that the antifibrotic mechanisms are related to the activation of PPARγ and subsequent downregulations of NF-κB-mediated STAT3 and TGF-β1 expressions and inhibition of Smad-mediated signaling pathway. These findings provide an applied perspective of stevioside for kidney fibrosis. Practical applications Stevioside is widely used in food products as a sweetener, and it has many beneficial biological effects, including antidiabetes, antihypertension, and renal protective action. Here, we provide a novel potential application of stevioside in the prevention and treatment of kidney fibrosis.