CCR2 knockout ameliorates obesity-induced kidney injury through inhibiting oxidative stress and ER stress

PLoS One. 2019 Sep 9;14(9):e0222352. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222352. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

CCL2/CCR2 signaling is believed to play an important role in kidney diseases. Several studies have demonstrated that blocking of CCR2 has a therapeutic effect on kidney diseases. However, the effects of CCR2 knockout on obesity-induced kidney injury remain unclear. We investigated the therapeutic effects and the mechanism of CCL2/CCR2 signaling in obesity-induced kidney injury. We used C57BL/6-CCR2 wild type and C57BL/6-CCR2 knockout mice: Regular diet wild type (RD WT), RD CCR2 knockout (RD KO), High-fat diet WT (HFD WT), HFD CCR2 KO (HFD KO). Body weight of WT mice was significantly increased after HFD. However, the body weight of HFD KO mice was not decreased compared to HFD WT mice. Food intake and calorie showed no significant differences between HFD WT and HFD KO mice. Glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, and triglycerides levels increased in HFD WT mice were decreased in HFD KO mice. Insulin resistance, increased insulin secretion, and lipid accumulation showed in HFD WT mice were improved in HFD KO mice. Increased desmin expression, macrophage infiltration, and TNF-α in HFD mice were reduced in HFD KO mice. HFD-induced albuminuria, glomerular hypertrophy, glomerular basement membrane thickening, and podocyte effacement were restored by CCR2 depletion. HFD-induced elevated expressions of xBP1, Bip, and Nox4 at RNA and protein levels were significantly decreased in HFD KO. Therefore, blockade of CCL2/CCR2 signaling by CCR2 depletion might ameliorate obesity-induced albuminuria through blocking oxidative stress, ER stress, and lipid accumulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Albuminuria / etiology*
  • Albuminuria / genetics
  • Albuminuria / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Body Weight / physiology
  • Diet, High-Fat
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress / physiology*
  • Energy Intake
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Kidney / metabolism
  • Kidney Diseases / etiology*
  • Kidney Diseases / genetics
  • Kidney Diseases / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Obesity / complications*
  • Obesity / genetics
  • Obesity / metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress / physiology*
  • Receptors, CCR2 / genetics
  • Receptors, CCR2 / metabolism*

Substances

  • Ccr2 protein, mouse
  • Receptors, CCR2

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2015R1A6A1A03032522, 2017R1D1A3B03027898 and 2018R1A6A3A11040860), the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (HI17C- 2059-010017) and Soonchunhyang University Research Fund.