摘要Objective:Previous studies have found that Qidi Tangshen granules (QDTS),a combination therapy of supplementing essence (Tianjing,TJ) and unblocking the collaterals (Tongluo,TL),can reduce kidney damage in db/db mice.This study aimed to explore the effect of QDTS and their separate prescriptions on podocytes in mice with diabetic nephropathy.Methods:The db/db mice were used in this experiment as an animal model,while wild-type C57BL/6J mice were used as normal controls.At the age of 12 weeks,the db/db mice were randomly divided into 5 groups (db/db,db/db + valsartan,db/db + QDTS,db/db + TJ and db/db + TL).The urine albumin excretion ratio (UAE) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before and after the intervention.The ultrastructure of the kidney podocytes was observed by transmission electron mi-croscopy.The protein expression levels of nephrin and desmin were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results:QDTS and their separate prescriptions significantly decreased the UAE and attenuated the renal pathological injury.QDTS and their separate prescriptions also reduced the fusion rate of the foot pro-cesses and increased the expression of nephrin protein.In contrast,QDTS and their separate pre-scriptions (TJ and TL) reduced the expression level of desmin protein.Conclusion:QDTS and their separate prescriptions might reduce diabetes-induced renal injury by reducing podocyte damage.The therapeutic effect of QDTS was more pronounced than TJ and TL.