scholarly journals Role of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in Diabetic Nephropathy: Lessons from Diabetic eNOS Knockout Mice

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takamune Takahashi ◽  
Raymond C. Harris

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in many countries. The animal models that recapitulate human DN undoubtedly facilitate our understanding of this disease and promote the development of new diagnostic markers and therapeutic interventions. Based on the clinical evidence showing the association of eNOS dysfunction with advanced DN, we and others have created diabetic mice that lack eNOS expression and shown that eNOS-deficient diabetic mice exhibit advanced nephropathic changes with distinct features of progressive DN, including pronounced albuminuria, nodular glomerulosclerosis, mesangiolysis, and arteriolar hyalinosis. These studies clearly defined a critical role of eNOS in DN and developed a robust animal model of this disease, which enables us to study the pathogenic mechanisms of progressive DN. Further, recent studies with this animal model have explored the novel mechanisms by which eNOS deficiency causes advanced DN and provided many new insights into the pathogenesis of DN. Therefore, here we summarize the findings obtained with this animal model and discuss the roles of eNOS in DN, unresolved issues, and future investigations of this animal model study.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Wu ◽  
Lili Kong ◽  
Shanshan Zhou ◽  
Wenpeng Cui ◽  
Feng Xu ◽  
...  

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), as one of the chronic complications of diabetes, is the major cause of end-stage renal disease. However, the pathogenesis of this disease is not fully understood. In recent years, research on microRNAs (miRNAs) has become a hotspot because of their critical role in regulating posttranscriptional levels of protein-coding genes that may serve as key pathogenic factors in diseases. Several miRNAs were found to participate in the pathogenesis of DN, while others showed renal protective effects. Therefore, targeting miRNAs that are involved in DN may have a good prospect in the treatment of the disease. The aim of this review is to summarize DN-related miRNAs and provide potential targets for diagnostic strategies and therapeutic intervention.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (8) ◽  
pp. 2218-2222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine K. Hathaway ◽  
Albert S. Chang ◽  
Ruriko Grant ◽  
Hyung-Suk Kim ◽  
Victoria J. Madden ◽  
...  

Human genome-wide association studies have demonstrated that polymorphisms in the engulfment and cell motility protein 1 gene (ELMO1) are strongly associated with susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy. However, proof of causation is lacking. To test whether modest changes in its expression alter the severity of the renal phenotype in diabetic mice, we have generated mice that are type 1 diabetic because they have the Ins2Akita gene, and also have genetically graded expression of Elmo1 in all tissues ranging in five steps from ∼30% to ∼200% normal. We here show that the Elmo1 hypermorphs have albuminuria, glomerulosclerosis, and changes in the ultrastructure of the glomerular basement membrane that increase in severity in parallel with the expression of Elmo 1. Progressive changes in renal mRNA expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1), endothelin-1, and NAD(P)H oxidase 4 also occur in parallel with Elmo1, as do the plasma levels of cystatin C, lipid peroxides, and TGFβ1, and erythrocyte levels of reduced glutathione. In contrast, Akita type 1 diabetic mice with below-normal Elmo1 expression have reduced expression of these various factors and less severe diabetic complications. Remarkably, the reduced Elmo1 expression in the 30% hypomorphs almost abolishes the pathological features of diabetic nephropathy, although it does not affect the hyperglycemia caused by the Akita mutation. Thus, ELMO1 plays an important role in the development of type 1 diabetic nephropathy, and its inhibition could be a promising option for slowing or preventing progression of the condition to end-stage renal disease.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinji Kume ◽  
Daisuke Koya ◽  
Takashi Uzu ◽  
Hiroshi Maegawa

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. The multipronged drug approach still fails to fully prevent the onset and progression of diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, a new therapeutic target to improve the prognosis of diabetic nephropathy is urgently required. Nutrient-sensing signals and their related intracellular machinery have evolved to combat prolonged periods of starvation in mammals; and these systems are conserved in the kidney. Recent studies have suggested that the activity of three nutrient-sensing signals, mTORC1, AMPK, and Sirt1, is altered in the diabetic kidney. Furthermore, autophagy activity, which is regulated by the above-mentioned nutrient-sensing signals, is also altered in both podocytes and proximal tubular cells under diabetic conditions. Under diabetic conditions, an altered nutritional state owing to nutrient excess may disturb cellular homeostasis regulated by nutrient-responsible systems, leading to exacerbation of organelle dysfunction and diabetic nephropathy. In this review, we discuss new findings showing relationships between nutrient-sensing signals, autophagy, and diabetic nephropathy and suggest the therapeutic potential of nutrient-sensing signals in diabetic nephropathy.


Injury ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris Anthonissen ◽  
Christian Ossendorf ◽  
Johanna L. Hock ◽  
Clara T. Steffen ◽  
Hermann Goetz ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zuo ◽  
Li Chen ◽  
Huiping Gu ◽  
Xiaoyun He ◽  
Zhen Ye ◽  
...  

Abstract Pyroptosis is a recently identified mechanism of programmed cell death related to Caspase-1 that triggers a series of inflammatory reactions by releasing several proinflammatory factors such as IL-1β and IL-18. The process is characterised by the rupture of cell membranes and the release of cell contents through the mediation of gasdermin (GSDM) proteins. GSDMD is an important member of the GSDM family and plays a critical role in the two pathways of pyroptosis. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a microvascular complication of diabetes and a major cause of end-stage renal disease. Recently, it was revealed that GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis plays an important role in the occurrence and development of DN. In this review, we focus on two types of kidney cells, tubular epithelial cells and renal podocytes, to illustrate the mechanism of pyroptosis in DN and provide new ideas for the prevention, early diagnosis and molecular therapy of DN.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1701200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Raish ◽  
Ajaz Ahmad ◽  
Basit L. Jan ◽  
Khalid M. Alkharfy ◽  
Kazi Mohsin ◽  
...  

Diabetic nephropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus and one of the major etiologies of end-stage renal disease. Specific therapeutic interventions are necessary to treat such complications. The present study was designed to investigate the metabolomic changes induced by thymoquinone for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy, using a rodent model. Rats were divided into three different groups (n = 6 each): control, diabetic, and thymoquinone-treated diabetic groups. Metabolites in serum samples were analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Multiple changes were observed, including those related to the metabolism of amino acids and fatty acids. The correlation analysis suggested that treatment with thymoquinone led to the reversal of diabetic nephropathy that was associated with modulations in the metabolism and proteolysis of amino acids, fatty acids, glycerol phospholipids, and organic acids. In addition, we explored the mechanisms linking the metabolic profiling of diabetic nephropathy, with a particular emphasis on the potential roles of increased reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial dysfunctions. Our findings demonstrated that metabolomic profiling provided significant insights into the basic mechanisms of diabetic nephropathy and the therapeutic effects of thymoquinone.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyun He ◽  
Gaoyan Kuang ◽  
Yi Zuo ◽  
Shuangxi Li ◽  
Suxian Zhou ◽  
...  

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the main complications of diabetes and the main cause of diabetic end-stage renal disease, which is often fatal. DN is usually characterized by progressive renal interstitial fibrosis, which is closely related to the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix and oxidative stress. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are RNA molecules expressed in eukaryotic cells that are not translated into proteins. They are widely involved in the regulation of biological processes, such as, chromatin remodeling, transcription, post-transcriptional modification, and signal transduction. Recent studies have shown that ncRNAs play an important role in the occurrence and development of DN and participate in the regulation of oxidative stress in DN. This review clarifies the functions and mechanisms of ncRNAs in DN-related oxidative stress, providing valuable insights into the prevention, early diagnosis, and molecular therapeutic targets of DN.


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