Abstract: Objective To understand the effects of Panax Notoginsenosides（PNS） on renal proteins differentially expressed in rats experiencing cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Methods Rats were randomly divided into three groups and treated with saline，cisplatin alone or cisplatin with PNS. At 10 days after treatment，renal tissue was examined for pathology，and levels of serum BUN，Scr，and urine NAG were determined. Renal proteins for which expression levels changed in response to cisplatin treatment were screened using SELDI-TOF-MS and identified using MALDI-TOF-MS/MS and Western blotting. Results We successfully created a rat model of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity，and PNS reduced the drug-induced damage. Mass spectrometry identified 20 renal proteins differentially expressed between the saline and cisplatin groups， as well as 18 proteins differentially expressed between the cisplatin and cisplatin+PNS groups. Of these proteins，6 were up-or down-regulated by cisplatin treatment，and PNS returned their expression close to the levels in the saline group. One of these proteins（m/z 10815.42） was identified as mitochondrial heat shock protein， while another （m/z 16021.67） was identified as hemoglobin subunit beta-1 and beta-2. Conclusions These differentially expressed renal proteins may mediate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity as well as the protective effects of PNS. Further studies should verify these leads and examine the cellular pathways involved.

Key words: Panax notoginseng saponins, Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, Differentially expressed proteins, SELDI-TOF-MS, Mitochondrial heat shock protein