Paricalcitol Improves the Angiopoietin/Tie-2 and VEGF/VEGFR2 Signaling Pathways in Adriamycin-Induced Nephropathy.
Amanda Lima DeluqueBeatriz Magalhães OliveiraCláudia Silva SouzaAna Lívia Dias MacielHeloísa Della Coletta FrancescatoCleonice GiovaniniLucas Ferreira de AlmeidaFrancisco José Albuquerque PaulaRoberto Silva CostaJosé Antunes RodriguesTerezila Machado CoimbraPublished in: Nutrients (2022)
Renal endothelial cell (EC) injury and microvascular dysfunction contribute to chronic kidney disease (CKD). In recent years, increasing evidence has suggested that EC undergoes an endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), which might promote fibrosis. Adriamycin (ADR) induces glomerular endothelial dysfunction, which leads to progressive proteinuria in rodents. The activation of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) plays a crucial role in endothelial function modulation, cell differentiation, and suppression of the expression of fibrotic markers by regulating the production of nitric oxide (NO) by activating the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in the kidneys. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of paricalcitol treatment on renal endothelial toxicity in a model of CKD induced by ADR in rats and explore mechanisms involved in EC maintenance by eNOS/NO, angiopoietins (Angs)/endothelium cell-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (Tie-2, also known as TEK) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) axis. The results show that paricalcitol attenuated the renal damage ADR-induced with antiproteinuric effects, glomerular and tubular structure, and function protection. Furthermore, activation of the VDR promoted the maintenance of the function and structure of glomerular, cortical, and external medullary endothelial cells by regulating NO production. In addition, it suppressed the expression of the mesenchymal markers in renal tissue through attenuation of (transforming growth factor-beta) TGF-β1/Smad2/3-dependent and downregulated of Ang-2/Tie-2 axis. It regulated the VEGF/VEGFR2 pathway, which was ADR-deregulated. These effects were associated with lower AT1 expression and VDR recovery to renal tissue after paricalcitol treatment. Our results showed a protective role of paricalcitol in the renal microvasculature that could be used as a target for treating the beginning of CKD.
Keyphrases
- endothelial cells
- high glucose
- vascular endothelial growth factor
- chronic kidney disease
- transforming growth factor
- nitric oxide
- tyrosine kinase
- poor prognosis
- end stage renal disease
- stem cells
- epithelial mesenchymal transition
- multiple sclerosis
- oxidative stress
- adverse drug
- long non coding rna
- binding protein
- mesenchymal stem cells
- transcription factor
- single cell
- drug induced
- combination therapy
- cell therapy
- diabetic rats
- pi k akt
- cell proliferation