Astaxanthin attenuates adriamycin-induced focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a specific pattern of chronic renal injury with progressive glomerular scarring. The phenotypic alterations that contribute to FSGS include inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Astaxanthin (ATX) has a broad range of biological functions, particularly antioxidant and anti-inﬂammatory ones. This study was designed to evaluate the renoprotective effect of ATX treatment on Adriamycin-induced FSGS.


METHODS
In Balb/c mice, Adriamycin nephropathy was induced by Adriamycin (10 mg/kg body weight, diluted in normal saline) via a tail vein on day 0. Then the mice were treated with ATX (50 mg/kg body weight) once daily by oral gavage, again starting on the day of Adriamycin injection and continued for 6 weeks. At 6 weeks, the mice were sacrificed; kidneys and blood samples were collected for further analysis.


RESULTS
Animals that underwent intermittent exposure to ATX treatment exhibited significant improvements in renal functional parameters as well as in glomerular and interstitial fibrosis compared to those undergoing saline treatment in FSGS mouse models. ATX treatment exerted anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects by promoting Nrf2 expression and suppressing renal nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 inﬂammasome activation.


CONCLUSIONS
ATX might offer a ray of hope for ameliorating FSGS.
Department of Nephrology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease and Blood Purification in Hunan, Changsha, China.
Guoyong
G
Liu
Yan
Y
Shi
Xiaofei
X
Peng
Hong
H
Liu
Youming
Y
Peng
Liyu
L
He
D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004317:Doxorubicin; D005355:Fibrosis; D005923:Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000071199:NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
D002352:Carrier Proteins; C587672:IL1B protein, mouse; D020382:Interleukin-18; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; D000071199:NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; C495636:Nfe2l2 protein, mouse; C492716:Nlrp3 protein, mouse; D020011:Protective Agents; D024341:Xanthophylls; D004317:Doxorubicin; C005948:astaxanthine; D003404:Creatinine