*2.4. Effects of UPE on Renal Oxidation and Antioxidant Indexes*

The large amount of ROS produced by oxidative stress will cause oxidative damage to biological macromolecules such as proteins, lipids, and DNA and then cause damage to the body. The oxidant and antioxidant indexes of mice are shown in Figure 3. The contents of MDA, protein carbonyl, and 8-OHdG in mice in the D-gal group were significantly increased (52.46%, 31.48%, and 27.45%, respectively) compared with those in the BC group (all *p* < 0.01), and the content of GSH decreased significantly (23.16%, *p* < 0.05). Moreover, D-gal also led to a decrease in the activities of SOD (16.66%), GSH-Px (21.74%), and T-AOC (47.99%) in mice (all *p* < 0.01). After using low-dose UPE, the contents of MDA, protein carbonyl, and 8-OHdG in mice were reduced by 10.79%, 13.78%, and 9.72%, respectively (*p* < 0.01), and the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, and T-AOC were also significantly increased (10.51%, 46.65%, and 11.97%, respectively), but the change in GSH content was not statistically significant (*p* > 0.05). In contrast, in the high-dose group, MDA, protein carbonyl, and 8-OHdG were also significantly reduced (all *p* < 0.01); GSH content was significantly increased (43.18%, *p* < 0.05); and the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, and T-AOC were close to the level of normal mice. These results show that UPE can significantly reduce oxidative damage caused by D-gal and improve the antioxidant capacity of mice.

**Figure 3.** Levels of antioxidant indexes in the kidney of mice. (**a**) MDA content. (**b**) 8-OHdG concentration. (**c**) Protein carbonyl content. (**d**) SOD activity. (**e**) GSH-Px activity. (**f**) T-AOC activity. (**g**) GSH content. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (*n* = 9). \* *p* < 0.05, \*\* *p* < 0.01 compared with BC group; ## *p* < 0.01 compared with NC group. BC: blank control, NC: negative control, PC: positive control, LD: low-dose UPE (50 mg/kg), HD: high-dose UPE (300 mg/kg).

### *2.5. Effects of UPE on Inflammatory Factors*

The levels of inflammatory cytokines in mice are shown in Figure 4. Compared with the BC group, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in mice injected with D-gal were significantly increased (*p* < 0.01). The levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in mice in the low-dose group were slightly decreased, but there was no statistically significant difference (*p* > 0.05). The IL-6 level in the high-dose group showed no significant change, while the TNF-α level significantly decreased.
