Therapeutic Potential of Thrombomodulin in Renal Fibrosis of Nephrotoxic Serum Nephritis in Wistar-Kyoto Rats

Abstract

Background: Recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rhTM) was approved in 2008 and has been used for treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation in Japan. The antifibrotic effects of rhTM in acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are well established, but the therapeutic potential of rhTM in renal fibrosis remains poorly understood. Methods: Nephrotoxic serum nephritis (NTS-N) was induced in 22 female Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats on day 0. Rats were administered either rhTM or vehicle intraperitoneally, every day from day 4 to day 55. Rats were sacrificed on day 56 when renal fibrosis was established and renal morphological investigations were performed. In vitro, rat renal fibroblasts (NRK-49F) were pretreated with rhTM or saline, and expression levels of profibrogenic gene induced by thrombin were analyzed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: Compared to WKY-GN-vehicle rats, the body weights of WKY-GN-rhTM rats were significantly greater on day 55. By day 56, rhTM had significantly reduced serum creatinine levels in NTS-N. On the other hand, urinary protein excretion was comparable between the two treatment groups throughout the study. The percentage of Masson trichrome-positive areas in WKY-GN-rhTM rats was significantly lower compared to that in WKY-GN-vehicle rats. Glomerular fibrin deposition was significantly reduced in WKY-GN-rhTM rats. In addition, rhTM significantly reduced the renal cortical mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, Toll-like receptor 4, MYD88, TGF-β, αSMA, collagen I, collagen III, fibronectin, and protease-activated receptor 1

Exploring the significance of interleukin-33/ST2 axis in minimal change disease

“…Serum was directly added to the MPCs without activation of complements 44 . Expression of the mouse angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Angptl4), cluster of differentiation (CD)80, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), Caspase 1 (Casp1), and GAPDH genes were analyzed using real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction as previously described 45 . Levels of mouse IL-33 in the supernatant were determined using an ELISA kit (R&D Systems), according to the manufacturer's instructions.…”

A urinary proteomic study in hypercalciuric dogs with and without calcium oxalate urolithiasis

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Reno-protective effect of IL-34 inhibition on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in mice

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