Abstract: Objective To study the effect of Shuangshenling granules on a chronic renal failure model of mice induced by cadmium poisoning in order to provide data for clinical applications. Methods The mice were randomly divided into six groups based on body mass, with 20 mice in each group: normal control group, model control group, Shenshuaining granule positive control group, and three Shuangshenling granule dosage groups (9.0, 4.5, 2.2 g·kg^-1·d^-1). Except the normal control group, each group was injected intraperitoneally with 2 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 anhydrous cadmium chloride solution for 30 days to establish a chronic renal failure model, and received respective drugs via gavage administration for 45 days at the same time. On days 15 and 45, the retro-orbital blood was collected while enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the content of serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The 24-hour urine samples were collected to measure the content of totalprotein (TP). The bilateral kidneys of the mice were excised after the experiment before hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was adopted to examine the histopathological changes of renal tissues. Results Compared with the normal control group, the model group showed a significant increase in serum Cr, BUN and TP on days15 and 45 (P<0.01), and the 24-hour urine significantly increased on day 15 but significantly decreased on day 45. Compared with the model control group, the three Shuangshenling granule dosage groups showed significantly decreased contents of serum Cr and BUN (P<0.01), improved renal function, and regulated urine outputs on days 15 and 45 (P<0.01, P<0.05). On day 15, the content of TP in the three Shuangshenling granule dosage groups significantly decreased, and the same effect was observed in Shuangshenling granule high and medium dosage groups on day 45(P<0.01, P<0.05). In the three dosage groups, such histopathological changes induced by cadmium chloride were mitigated as glomerular enlargement, proliferation of glomerular mesangial cells, renal interstitial congestion, and swelling of renal convoluted tubules. Conclusion Shuangshenling granules have a significant therapeutic effect on chronic renal failure induced by cadmium poisoning in mice.

Key words: Shuangshenling Granules, Cadmium Poisoning, Renal Failure Model, Blood Creatinine, Blood Urea Nitrogen, Urinary Protein, Mice