Acteoside and isoacteoside alleviate renal dysfunction and inflammation in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute kidney injuries through inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway

PLoS One. 2024 May 15;19(5):e0303740. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303740. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden loss of renal function with a high mortality rate and inflammation is thought to be the underlying cause. The phenylpropanoid components acteoside (ACT) and isoacteoside (ISO), which were isolated from Cistanche deserticola Y.C.Ma, have been reported to have preventive effects against kidney disorders. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties and protective mechanisms of ACT and ISO. In this investigation, kidney function was assessed using a semi-automatic biochemical analyzer, histopathology was examined using Hematoxylin-Eosin staining and immunohistochemistry, and the concentration of inflammatory cytokines was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. In addition, using Western blot and q-PCR, the expression of proteins and genes connected to the NF-κB signaling pathway in mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced AKI was found. The findings showed that under AKI intervention in LPS group, ACT group and ISO group, the expression of Rela (Rela gene is responsible for the expression of NFκB p65 protein) and Tlr4 mRNA was considerably elevated (P<0.01), which led to a significant improvement in the expression of MyD88, TLR4, Iκ-Bɑ and NF-κB p65 protein (P<0.001). The levels of Alb, Crea and BUN (P<0.001) increased along with the release of downstream inflammatory factors such as IL-1β, IL-6, Cys-C, SOD1 and TNF-α (P<0.001). More importantly, the study showed that ISO had a more favorable impact on LPS-induced AKI mice than ACT. In conclusion, by inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway, ACT and ISO could relieve renal failure and inflammation in AKI, offering a fresh possibility for the therapeutic management of the condition.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Kidney Injury* / chemically induced
  • Acute Kidney Injury* / drug therapy
  • Acute Kidney Injury* / metabolism
  • Acute Kidney Injury* / pathology
  • Animals
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Glucosides* / pharmacology
  • Glucosides* / therapeutic use
  • Inflammation* / drug therapy
  • Inflammation* / metabolism
  • Inflammation* / pathology
  • Kidney / drug effects
  • Kidney / metabolism
  • Kidney / pathology
  • Lipopolysaccharides*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • NF-kappa B* / metabolism
  • Phenols* / pharmacology
  • Signal Transduction* / drug effects
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4 / genetics
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4 / metabolism
  • Transcription Factor RelA / metabolism

Grants and funding

The experiment was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81874345), the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (Grant no.2020-MS-223). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There are no conflicts of interest to declare.