Liver and serum metabolites of obese and lean mice fed on high fat or normal diets were analyzed using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Obese and lean groups were clearly discriminated from each other on PLS-DA score plot and major metabolites contributing to the discrimination were assigned as lipid metabolites (fatty acids, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), and lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPCs)), lipid metabolism intermediates (betaine, carnitine, and acylcarnitines), amino acids, acidic compounds, monosaccharides, and serotonin. A high-fat diet increased lipid metabolites but decreased lipid metabolism intermediates and the NAD/NADH ratio, indicating that abnormal lipid and energy metabolism induced by a high-fat diet resulted in fat accumulation via decreased β-oxidation. In addition, this study revealed that the levels of many metabolites, including serotonin, betaine, pipecolic acid, and uric acid, were positively or negatively related to obesity-associated diseases. On the basis of these metabolites, we proposed a metabolic pathway related to high-fat diet-induced obesity. These metabolites can be used to better understand obesity and related diseases induced by a hyperlipidic diet. Furthermore, the level changes of these metabolites can be used to assess the risk of obesity and the therapeutic effect of obesity management.

Sung MJ, Kim W. SIRT1 activation by resveratrol ameliorates cisplatin-induced renal injury through deacetylation of p53. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 301: F427-F435, 2011. First published May 18, 2011 doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00258.2010.-Nephrotoxicity is one of the important dose-limiting factors during cisplatin treatment. There is a growing body of evidence that activation of p53 has a critical role in cisplatin-induced renal apoptotic injury. The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent protein deacetylase SIRT1 decreases apoptosis through deacetylating of p53, and resveratrol is known as an activator of SIRT1. To study the role of SIRT1 in cisplatin-induced renal injury through interaction with p53, mouse proximal tubular cells (MPT) were treated with cisplatin and examined the expression level of SIRT1, acetylation of p53, PUMA-␣, Bax, the cytosolic/ mitochondrial cytochrome c ratio, and active caspase-3. The expression of SIRT1 was decreased by cisplatin. Resveratrol, a SIRT1 activator, ameliorated cisplatin-induced acetylation of p53, apoptosis, and cytotoxicity in MPT cells. In addition, resveratrol remarkably blocked cisplatin-induced decrease of Bcl-xL in MPT cells. Further specific SIRT1 inhibition with EX 527 or small interference RNA specific to SIRT1 reversed the effect of resveratrol on cisplatininduced toxicity. Inhibition of p53 by pifithrin-␣ reversed the effect of EX527 in protein expression of PUMA-␣, Bcl-xL, and caspase-3 and cytotoxicity in MPT cells. SIRT1 protein expression after cisplatin treatment was significantly decreased in the kidney. SIRT1 activation by resveratrol decreased cisplatin-induced apoptosis while improving the glomerular filtration rate. Taken together, our findings suggest that the modulation of p53 by SIRT1 could be a possible target to attenuate cisplatin-induced kidney injury. apoptosis; cisplatin nephrotoxicity CISPLATIN IS A CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC agent widely used for the treatment of malignant tumors in solid organs. One of the important dose-limiting factors of cisplatin treatment is nephrotoxicity. Direct DNA damage, inflammatory injury, and oxidative stress have been recognized as the mechanism of cisplatin-induced renal injury. Especially, cisplatin-induced apoptotic cell death after DNA damage is the major mechanism in cytotoxicity in renal tubule cells.In response to DNA damage, p53 can induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. p53-induced apoptosis affects its transcriptional activity and Bcl2 family members in mitochondria (24). In kidney disease, p53 is involved in the apoptotic injury in ischemic injury and aristolochic acid-induced nephrotoxicity (11,30,33). There is also a growing body of evidence that p53 plays a critical role in cisplatin-induced renal injury (2, 9, 30). Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that downregulation of p53 by small interference (si) RNA is an effective way of preventing or treating cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity (25). Activation of p53 is regulated by posttranslational modification of p53 such as ubiquitination, phosphorylati...

Oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to the pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. We found that genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with broad specificities, and which also has estrogen-like activity, had protective effects on cisplatin-induced renal injury in mice. Genistein significantly decreased reactive oxygen species production, the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 proteins, as well as the translocation of the p65 subunit of nuclear factor-kappaB into the nucleus and the infiltration of macrophages, all of which were increased in the kidney by cisplatin treatment. Genistein also decreased cisplatin-induced apoptosis by regulating p53 induction in kidney. Genistein significantly reduced reactive oxygen species production in cisplatin-treated normal human kidney HK-2 cells. These studies show that genistein or similar compounds might be useful in prevention of cisplatin-induced renal injury.

These results suggest that alpha-LA treatment ameliorates cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury by reducing inflammatory adhesion molecule expression and NF-kappaB activity.

Adrenomedullin (AM) is a multifunctional peptide in human pheochromocytoma. To evaluate whether AM could be an angiogenic factor, we examined its effect on kinases and angiogenic processes. AM induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) by using distinct signaling pathways in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). AM also phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase, and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase inhibitor inhibited AM-induced focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation. Pretreatment with high concentrations of AM22-52, a putative AM receptor antagonist, partially suppressed AM-induced phosphorylation of Akt, ERK1/2, and focal adhesion kinase. AM and vascular endothelial growth factor produced increases in DNA synthesis and migration in HUVECs. AM induced tube formation in HUVECs, and its effect was inhibited by pretreatment with phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase inhibitor or ERK1/2 inhibitor. AM induced sprouting in porcine pulmonary arterial endothelial cells and promoted neovessel formation in a mouse Matrigel plug assay. Inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase and ERK1/2 inhibited AM-induced endothelial sprouting in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo. AM exerts angiogenic activity through activation of Akt, MAPK, and focal adhesion kinase in endothelial cells.

No abstract

Lymphatic remodeling in inflammation has been found in tracheal mycoplasma infection, human kidney transplant, skin inflammation, peritonitis, and corneal inflammation. Here we investigated lymphangiogenesis in fibrotic area in unilateral ureteral obstruction, a model of progressive renal fibrosis, and evaluated the roles of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and -D in the obstructed kidney. Compared to sham-operated mice, the number of LYVE-1-positive lymphatic vessels, the proliferation of LYVE-1-positive lymphatic endothelial cells, along with VEGF-C and -D mRNA expression were all significantly increased following ureteral obstruction. Depletion of macrophages with clodronate decreased lymphangiogenesis in the obstructed kidney. VEGF-C expression was higher in M2- than in M1-polarized macrophages from bone marrow-derived macrophages, and also increased in Raw 264.7 or renal proximal tubule cells by stimulation with TGF-β1 or TNF-α. VEGF-D reversed the inhibitory effect of TGF-β1 on VEGF-C-induced migration, capillary-like tube formation, and proliferation of human lymphatic endothelial cells. Additionally, the blockade of VEGF-C and VEGF-D signaling decreased obstruction-induced lymphangiogenesis. Thus, VEGF-C and VEGF-D are associated with lymphangiogenesis in the fibrotic kidney in a mouse model of ureteral obstruction.

These results showed that pre-treatment with rosiglitazone attenuates cisplatin-induced renal damage through the suppression of TNF-alpha overproduction and NF-kappaB activation.