# From Wild Vegetable to Renal Protector: The Therapeutic Potential of Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem

## TL;DR

A compound from Aralia elata protects kidneys by reducing stress and cell damage, showing promise for treating chronic kidney disease.

## Contribution

Araloside A is shown to delay kidney disease progression via oxidative stress and ferroptosis inhibition.

## Key findings

- Araloside A reduces proteinuria and improves kidney function in model mice.
- It inhibits ferroptosis and oxidative stress through the SLC7A11/GSH/GPX4 pathway.
- The compound delays glomerulosclerosis in both cell and animal experiments.

## Abstract

Aralia elata
(Miq.) Seem. (A. elata) is a medicinal and edible wild vegetable, which has potential applications in the pharmaceutical and health food industries. Araloside A (Ara A) is a natural triterpenoid saponin extracted from A. elata. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important public health problem worldwide. There is still a lack of effective drugs to delay the progression of renal injury. We experimentally found that Ara A can alleviate pathological renal injury, reduce proteinuria and improve renal dysfunction in model mice. This is associated with its ability to mitigate oxidative stress and regulate ferroptosis‐related proteins. In vitro experiments, we found that Ara A can inhibit ferroptosis in podocytes and protect functional proteins. Mechanically, Ara A alleviated iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation in vivo and in vitro, and played a renal protective role by influencing the solute carrier family 7a member 11 (SLC7A11)/glutathione (GSH)/glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) signaling pathway. Through cell and animal experiments, we have verified that Ara A, a component derived from A. elata, can delay glomerulosclerosis, with the inhibition of oxidative stress and ferroptosis as its potential mechanisms of action. These results provide evidence for the utilization of
A. elata
as a nutraceutical for the treatment of CKD.

Aralia elata, a medicinal and edible wild vegetable, yields Araloside A (Ara A), a natural triterpenoid saponin. Experimental results show that Ara A, by mitigating oxidative stress and regulating ferroptosis‐related proteins via the SLC7A11/GSH/GPX4 pathway, can alleviate renal injury, reduce proteinuria, and delay glomerulosclerosis in model mice, indicating its potential as a nutraceutical for chronic kidney disease treatment.