AUTHOR=Kim Chan Ho , Kang Hye-Young , Kim Gyuri , Park Jimin , Nam Bo Young , Park Jung Tak , Han Seung Hyeok , Kang Shin-Wook , Yoo Tae-Hyun
TITLE=Soluble receptors for advanced glycation end-products prevent unilateral ureteral obstruction-induced renal fibrosis
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology
VOLUME=14
YEAR=2023
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1172269
DOI=10.3389/fphar.2023.1172269
ISSN=1663-9812
ABSTRACT=Introduction: The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligands, such as high-mobility group protein box 1 (HMGB1), play an important role in the accumulation of extracellular matrix in chronic kidney diseases with tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Blocking RAGE signaling with soluble RAGE (sRAGE) is a therapeutic candidate for renal fibrosis.
Methods: NRK-52E cells were stimulated with or without HMGB1 and incubated with sRAGE in vitro. Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally treated with sRAGE after unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) operation in vivo.
Results: HMBG1-stimulated NRK-52E cells showed increased fibronectin expression, type I collagen, α-smooth muscle actin, and connective tissue growth factor, which were attenuated by sRAGE. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were enhanced in NRK-52E cells exposed to HMBG1, and sRAGE treatment alleviated the activation of the MAPK and NF-κB pathways. In the UUO rat models, sRAGE significantly ameliorated the increased renal fibronectin, type I collagen, and α-smooth muscle actin expressions. Masson’s trichrome staining confirmed the anti-fibrotic effect of sRAGE in the UUO rat model. RAGE also significantly attenuated the activation of the MAPK pathway and NF-κB, as well as the increased number of infiltrated macrophages within the tubulointerstitium in the kidney of the UUO rat models.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that RAGE plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis and that its inhibition by sRAGE may be a potential therapeutic approach for renal fibrosis.