Inhibition of the glycogen synthase kinase 3β-hypoxia-inducible factor 1α pathway alleviates NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis induced by high glucose in renal tubular epithelial cells.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is not only one of the main complications of diabetes, but also has a high incidence rate and a high mortality rate. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK-3β) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α (HIF-1α) have been demonstrated to influence DN by regulating pyroptosis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the GSK-3β-HIF-1α pathway on pyroptosis of high-glucose (HG)-induced renal tubular cells. Mouse renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (TKPT cells) were induced by HG to simulate DN cell and we transfected TKPT cells with GSK-3β knockdown lentivirus. Western blot analysis confirmed the transfection effects and detected the expression of GSK-3β, HIF-1α, Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), cleaved-caspase-1, pro-caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD) and GSDMD-N. The expression of GSDMD-N and HIF-1α were also verified by immunofluorescence. The levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Flow cytometric analysis determined the apoptosis rate. Results showed that HIF-1α expression was increased in HG-induced TKPT cells, and GSK-3β knockdown could decrease the levels of NLRP3, cleaved-caspase-1, GSDMD-N and HIF-1α, verified by immunofluorescence. Moreover, GSK-3β knockdown suppressed the expression of IL-1β and IL-18, and reduced the apoptosis rate. Lithium chloride (LiCl) interference could cause the same changes as GSK-3β knockdown for HG-induced TKPT cells, and dimethyloxallyl glycine could reverse the effect of GSK-3β-knockdown interference. Our studies definitively demonstrate that the GSK-3β-HIF-1α signalling pathway mediates HG-stimulated pyroptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells and that down-regulation of GSK-3β inhibited HG-induced pyroptosis by inhibiting the expression of HIF-1α. These findings suggest a new potential target for the treatment of DN.