title: The role of cGMP and its signaling pathways in kidney disease.
abstract: Cyclic nucleotide signal transduction pathways are an emerging research field in kidney disease. Activated cell surface receptors transduce their signals via intracellular second messengers such as cAMP and cGMP. There is increasing evidence that regulation of the cGMP-cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1-phosphodiesterase (cGMP-cGK1-PDE) signaling pathway may be renoprotective. Selective PDE5 inhibitors have shown potential in treating kidney fibrosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), via their downstream signaling, and these inhibitors also have known activity as antithrombotic and anticancer agents. This review gives an outline of the cGMP-cGK1-PDE signaling pathways and details the downstream signaling and regulatory functions that are modulated by cGK1 and PDE inhibitors with regard to antifibrotic, antithrombotic, and antitumor activity. Current evidence that supports the renoprotective effects of regulating cGMP-cGK1-PDE signaling is also summarized. Finally, the effects of icariin, a natural plant extract with PDE5 inhibitory function, are discussed. We conclude that regulation of cGMP-cGK1-PDE signaling might provide novel, therapeutic strategies for the worsening global public health problem of CKD.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Kidney Disease Research, School of Medicine, Translational Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Second School of Clinical Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; and.
authors.forename: Kunyu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Kidney Disease Research, School of Medicine, Translational Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Department of Nephrology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Kidney Disease Research, School of Medicine, Translational Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; g.gobe@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Glenda C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Gobe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D062965:Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D062965:Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Type I; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; D006152:Cyclic GMP
keywords: PDE; cGK1; cGMP; cGMP kinase 1; kidney disease; phosphodiesterase inhibitors; signaling