Heme arginate therapy enhanced adiponectin and atrial natriuretic peptide, but abated endothelin-1 with attenuation of kidney histopathological lesions in mineralocorticoid-induced hypertension.
We investigated the role of heme oxygenase (HO), adiponectin, and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in uninephrectomized (UnX) deoxycorticosterone-acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats, a volume-overload model characterized by elevated endothelin-1 (ET-1), mineralocorticoid-induced oxidative/inflammatory insults, fibrosis, hypertrophy, and severe renal histopathological lesions that closely mimic end-stage renal disease (ESRD). HO was enhanced with heme arginate (HA) or blocked with chromium mesoporphyrin (CrMP). Histological, morphological/morphometrical, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, enzyme immunoassay, and spectrophotometric analysis were used. Our experimental design included the following groups of rats: A, controls [surgery-free Sprague-Dawley, UnX-sham, UnX-salt (0.9% NaCl + 0.2% KCl), and UnX-DOCA]; B, UnX-DOCA-salt hypertensive; C, UnX-DOCA-salt + HA; D, UnX-DOCA-salt + HA + CrMP; E, UnX-DOCA-salt + CrMP; F, UnX-DOCA-salt + captopril; G, UnX-DOCA-salt + L-arginine; H, UnX-DOCA-salt + spironolactone; and I, UnX-DOCA-salt + vehicle. HA lowered blood pressure and abated kidney hypertrophy and renal lesions, including glomerulosclerosis, tubular dilation, tubular cast formation, interstitial mononuclear cell infiltration, glomerular hypertrophy, and renal-arteriolar thickening in UnX-DOCA hypertension. Correspondingly, HO activity, adiponectin, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), ANP, cGMP, antioxidants such as bilirubin, ferritin, superoxide dismutase, and catalase, and total antioxidant capacity were increased, whereas ET-1, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), fibronectin, and 8-isoprostane were abated. These were accompanied by reduced proteinuria/albuminuria, but increased creatinine clearance. Interestingly, HA was more renoprotective than sipronolactone, L-arginine, and captopril, whereas the HO blocker CrMP exacerbated oxidative injury, aggravating renal lesions and function. Because 8-isoprostane stimulates ET-1 to potentiate oxidative stress and fibrosis, up-regulating HO-1 enhanced tissue antioxidant status alongside cellular targets such as adiponectin, AMPK, ANP, and cGMP to suppress ET-1, TGF-beta, and fibronectin with a corresponding decline of renal lesions, proteinuria/albuminuria, and thus improved renal function. The potent renoprotection of HA could be explored to combat renal hypertrophy and histopathological lesions characteristic of ESRD.
Ndisang
Joseph Fomusi
JF
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. joseph.ndisang@usask.ca
Jadhav
Ashok
A
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006418:Heme / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000378:metabolism; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008901:Mineralocorticoids; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D052242:Adiponectin; D019332:Endothelin-1; D008901:Mineralocorticoids; C472610:atrial natriuretic peptide, rat; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D006418:Heme; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D001120:Arginine; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); C048849:heme arginate