scholarly journals Molecular Mechanisms of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy in Acute Kidney Injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (21) ◽  
pp. 11406
Author(s):  
Pei-Wen Lee ◽  
Bo-Sheng Wu ◽  
Chih-Yu Yang ◽  
Oscar Kuang-Sheng Lee

Acute kidney injury (AKI) causes a lot of harm to human health but is treated by only supportive therapy in most cases. Recent evidence shows that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) benefit kidney regeneration through releasing paracrine factors and extracellular vesicles (EVs) to the recipient kidney cells and are considered to be promising cellular therapy for AKI. To develop more efficient, precise therapies for AKI, we review the therapeutic mechanism of MSCs and MSC-derived EVs in AKI and look for a better understanding of molecular signaling and cellular communication between donor MSCs and recipient kidney cells. We also review recent clinical trials of MSC-EVs in AKI. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms of MSCs’ therapeutic effects on kidney regeneration, expecting to comprehensively facilitate future clinical application for treating AKI.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Kun Li ◽  
Cheng Yang ◽  
Ying Su ◽  
Jing-Chao Luo ◽  
Ming-Hao Luo ◽  
...  

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and potential life-threatening disease in patients admitted to hospital, affecting 10%–15% of all hospitalizations and around 50% of patients in the intensive care unit. Severe, recurrent, and uncontrolled AKI may progress to chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease. AKI thus requires more efficient, specific therapies, rather than just supportive therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered to be promising cells for cellular therapy because of their ease of harvesting, low immunogenicity, and ability to expand in vitro. Recent research indicated that the main therapeutic effects of MSCs were mediated by MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs). Furthermore, compared with MSCs, MSC-EVs have lower immunogenicity, easier storage, no tumorigenesis, and the potential to be artificially modified. We reviewed the therapeutic mechanism of MSCs and MSC-EVs in AKI, and considered recent research on how to improve the efficacy of MSC-EVs in AKI. We also summarized and analyzed the potential and limitations of EVs for the treatment of AKI to provide ideas for future clinical trials and the clinical application of MSC-EVs in AKI.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 10045
Author(s):  
Phuong Thao Do ◽  
Chung-Che Wu ◽  
Yung-Hsiao Chiang ◽  
Chaur-Jong Hu ◽  
Kai-Yun Chen

Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of mortality and long-term disability worldwide. Disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a prominent pathophysiological mechanism, responsible for a series of subsequent inflammatory cascades that exacerbate the damage to brain tissue. However, the benefit of recanalization is limited in most patients because of the narrow therapeutic time window. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been assessed as excellent candidates for cell-based therapy in cerebral ischemia, including neuroinflammatory alleviation, angiogenesis and neurogenesis promotion through their paracrine actions. In addition, accumulating evidence on how MSC therapy preserves BBB integrity after stroke may open up novel therapeutic targets for treating cerebrovascular diseases. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms of MSC-based therapy in the ischemia-induced prevention of BBB compromise. Currently, therapeutic effects of MSCs for stroke are primarily based on the fundamental pathogenesis of BBB breakdown, such as attenuating leukocyte infiltration, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) regulation, antioxidant, anti-inflammation, stabilizing morphology and crosstalk between cellular components of the BBB. We also discuss prospective studies to improve the effectiveness of MSC therapy through enhanced migration into defined brain regions of stem cells. Targeted therapy is a promising new direction and is being prioritized for extensive research.


Hereditas ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 158 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Tang ◽  
Xiaobo Yang ◽  
Huaqing Shu ◽  
Yuan Yu ◽  
Shangwen Pan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sepsis and septic shock are life-threatening diseases with high mortality rate in intensive care unit (ICU). Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of sepsis, and its occurrence is a poor prognostic sign to septic patients. We analyzed co-differentially expressed genes (co-DEGs) to explore relationships between septic shock and AKI and reveal potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets of septic-shock-associated AKI (SSAKI). Methods Two gene expression datasets (GSE30718 and GSE57065) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The GSE57065 dataset included 28 septic shock patients and 25 healthy volunteers and blood samples were collected within 0.5, 24 and 48 h after shock. Specimens of GSE30718 were collected from 26 patients with AKI and 11 control patents. AKI-DEGs and septic-shock-DEGs were identified using the two datasets. Subsequently, Gene Ontology (GO) functional analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were performed to elucidate molecular mechanisms of DEGs. We also evaluated co-DEGs and corresponding predicted miRNAs involved in septic shock and AKI. Results We identified 62 DEGs in AKI specimens and 888, 870, and 717 DEGs in septic shock blood samples within 0.5, 24 and 48 h, respectively. The hub genes of EGF and OLFM4 may be involved in AKI and QPCT, CKAP4, PRKCQ, PLAC8, PRC1, BCL9L, ATP11B, KLHL2, LDLRAP1, NDUFAF1, IFIT2, CSF1R, HGF, NRN1, GZMB, and STAT4 may be associated with septic shock. Besides, co-DEGs of VMP1, SLPI, PTX3, TIMP1, OLFM4, LCN2, and S100A9 coupled with corresponding predicted miRNAs, especially miR-29b-3p, miR-152-3p, and miR-223-3p may be regarded as promising targets for the diagnosis and treatment of SSAKI in the future. Conclusions Septic shock and AKI are related and VMP1, SLPI, PTX3, TIMP1, OLFM4, LCN2, and S100A9 genes are significantly associated with novel biomarkers involved in the occurrence and development of SSAKI.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yue Zhao ◽  
Yue Lang ◽  
Mingchao Zhang ◽  
Shaoshan Liang ◽  
Xiaodong Zhu ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Mitochondria are dynamic organelles whose structure are maintained by continuous fusion and fission. During acute kidney injury (AKI) progression, mitochondrial fission in renal tubular cells was elevated, characterized by mitochondrial fragmentation. It is tightly associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, which has been proven as a critical mechanism responsible for AKI. However, the initiating factor for the disruption of mitochondrial dynamics in AKI was not well understood. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> To explore the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial disorders and kidney damage. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We established cisplatin-induced AKI model in C57BL/6 mice and proximal tubular cells, and detected the expression of miR-125b by qPCR. Then we delivered miR-125b antagomir after cisplatin treatment in mice via hydrodynamic-based gene transfer technique. Subsequently, we performed luciferase reporter and immunoblotting ­assays to prove miR-125b could directly modulate mitofusin1 (MFN1) expression. We also tested the role of miR-125b in mitochondrial and renal injury through immunofluorescent staining, qPCR, and immunoblotting assays. <b><i>Results:</i></b> miR-125b levels were induced in cisplatin-challenged mice and cultured tubular cells. Anti-miR-125b could effectively alleviate cisplatin-induced mitochondrial fragmentation and kidney injury both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, miR-125b could directly regulate MFN1, which is a key regulator of mitochondrial fusion. Our study indicated that miR-125b is upregulated during cisplatin-induced AKI. Inhibition of miR-125b may suppress mitochondrial and renal damage through upregulating MFN1. This study suggests that miR-125b could be a potential therapeutic target in AKI.


Antioxidants ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egor Plotnikov ◽  
Anna Brezgunova ◽  
Irina Pevzner ◽  
Ljubava Zorova ◽  
Vasily Manskikh ◽  
...  

Neonatal sepsis is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in newborns, greatly associated with severe acute kidney injury (AKI) and failure. Handling of newborns with kidney damage can be significantly different compared to adults, and it is necessary to consider the individuality of an organism’s response to systemic inflammation. In this study, we used lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated acute kidney injury model to study mechanisms of kidney cells damage in neonatal and adult rats. We found LPS-associated oxidative stress was more severe in adults compared to neonates, as judged by levels of carbonylated proteins and products of lipids peroxidation. In both models, LPS-mediated septic simulation caused apoptosis of kidney cells, albeit to a different degree. Elevated levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the kidney dropped after LPS administration in neonates but increased in adults. Renal fibrosis, as estimated by smooth muscle actin levels, was significantly higher in adult kidneys, whereas these changes were less profound in LPS-treated neonatal kidneys. We concluded that in LPS-mediated AKI model, renal cells of neonatal rats were more tolerant to oxidative stress and suffered less from long-term pathological consequences, such as fibrosis. In addition, we assume that by some features LPS administration simulates the conditions of accelerated aging.


2020 ◽  
Vol 318 (1) ◽  
pp. F209-F215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Zhou ◽  
Changlong An ◽  
Xiaogao Jin ◽  
Zhaoyong Hu ◽  
Robert L. Safirstein ◽  
...  

Cisplatin can cause acute kidney injury (AKI), but the molecular mechanisms are not well understood. The objective of the present study was to examine the role of transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase-1 (TAK1) in the pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced AKI. Wild-type mice and proximal tubule TAK1-deficient mice were treated with vehicle or cisplatin. Compared with wild-type control mice, proximal tubule TAK1-deficient mice had less severe kidney dysfunction, tubular damage, and apoptosis after cisplatin–induced AKI. Furthermore, conditional disruption of TAK1 in proximal tubular epithelial cells reduced caspase-3 activation, proinflammatory molecule expression, and JNK phosphorylation in the kidney in cisplatin-induced AKI. Taken together, cisplatin activates TAK1-JNK signaling pathway to promote tubular epithelial cell apoptosis and inflammation in cisplatin-induced AKI. Targeting TAK1 could be a novel therapeutic strategy against cisplatin-induced AKI.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Wanfen Zhang ◽  
Cheng Chen ◽  
Ran Jing ◽  
Tongqiang Liu ◽  
Bicheng Liu

Although cisplatin (Cis) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent in treatment of various cancers, its adverse effect of nephrotoxicity limits the clinical application. Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a strategy to induce resistance in a target organ against the oxidative stress and injury by applying transient, brief episodes of ischemia. However, whether RIPC exerts protective effect on Cis-induced renal injury remains unclear. In this study, we showed that RIPC significantly alleviated the renal functional and histopathological damage of Cis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) mice. Furthermore, RIPC substantially reversed the downregulation of miR-144 and upregulation of PTEN in renal tissues of Cis-induced AKI mice and alleviated tubular cell apoptosis via activating PTEN/AKT signaling. In mechanism, we demonstrated that miR-144 directly targets the 3’-UTR of PTEN mRNA, and then the elevation of miR-144 in RIPC activates PTEN/AKT signaling by downregulating PTEN expression to achieve its antiapoptosis effect. Collectively, our results indicate that RIPC may be a potential therapeutic strategy in Cis-induced AKI, and provide insights on the underlying molecular mechanisms of cisplatin’s nephrotoxicity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baer ◽  
Koch ◽  
Geiger

Damage to kidney cells can occur due to a variety of ischemic and toxic insults and leads to inflammation and cell death, which can result in acute kidney injury (AKI) [...]


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (47) ◽  
pp. 12608-12613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing-Qing Deng ◽  
Ying Luo ◽  
Xin Kang ◽  
Chang-Bin Li ◽  
Christophe Morisseau ◽  
...  

Acute kidney injury (AKI) causes severe morbidity and mortality for which new therapeutic strategies are needed. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), arachidonic acid (ARA), and their metabolites have various effects in kidney injury, but their molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we report that 14 (15)-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid [14 (15)-EET] and 19 (20)-epoxydocosapentaenoic acid [19 (20)-EDP], the major epoxide metabolites of ARA and DHA, respectively, have contradictory effects on kidney injury in a murine model of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-caused AKI. Specifically, 14 (15)-EET mitigated while 19 (20)-EDP exacerbated I/R kidney injury. Manipulation of the endogenous 19 (20)-EDP or 14 (15)-EET by alteration of their degradation or biosynthesis with selective inhibitors resulted in anticipated effects. These observations are supported by renal histological analysis, plasma levels of creatinine and urea nitrogen, and renal NGAL. The 14 (15)-EET significantly reversed the I/R-caused reduction in glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) phosphorylation in murine kidney, dose-dependently inhibited the hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-caused apoptosis of murine renal tubular epithelial cells (mRTECs), and reversed the H/R-caused reduction in GSK3β phosphorylation in mRTECs. In contrast, 19 (20)-EDP dose-dependently promoted H/R-caused apoptosis and worsened the reduction in GSK3β phosphorylation in mRTECs. In addition, 19 (20)-EDP was more metabolically stable than 14 (15)-EET in vivo and in vitro. Overall, these epoxide metabolites of ARA and DHA function conversely in I/R-AKI, possibly through their largely different metabolic stability and their opposite effects in modulation of H/R-caused RTEC apoptosis and GSK3β phosphorylation. This study provides AKI patients with promising therapeutic strategies and clinical cautions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 1503-1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hepeng Wang ◽  
Pengyuan Sun ◽  
Changyuan Wang ◽  
Qiang Meng ◽  
Zhihao Liu ◽  
...  

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