Collagen Deposition in Diabetic Kidney Disease Boosts Intercellular Signaling: A Mathematical Model

Abstract

Diabetic kidney disease is a health burden that is becoming more prevalent in the US and worldwide. The limited options for treating and preventing diabetic kidney disease are in part due to gaps in our understanding of the progression of diabetic kidney damage and its impacts on cellular function. An important cellular function in the kidney glomerulus is intercellular communication via the release and uptake of soluble cytokines and growth factors. In diabetic kidney disease, excess collagen deposition alters the mesangial matrix properties, which, we hypothesize, diminishes the intercellular signaling between key glomerular cells. To test our hypothesis, we utilized established mathematical models of transport to study the impact of pathological deposition on the ability of cells to communicate via intercellular signaling. Our analysis reveals that pathological collagen deposition can enhance the signaling range of the glomerular cells rather than diminishing it.