Aerobic exercise inhibits renal EMT by promoting irisin expression in SHR

Minghao Luo; Suxin Luo; Yuzhou Xue; Qing Chang; Hui Yang; Wenyu Dong; Ting Zhang; Shuyuan Cao

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.105990

Aerobic exercise inhibits renal EMT by promoting irisin expression in SHR

iScience. 2023 Jan 14;26(2):105990. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.105990. eCollection 2023 Feb 17.

Authors

Minghao Luo^{1

2}, Suxin Luo², Yuzhou Xue², Qing Chang^{1

3}, Hui Yang¹, Wenyu Dong¹, Ting Zhang⁴, Shuyuan Cao^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ The Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
² Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
³ The College of Exercise Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
⁴ The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China.

Abstract

To determine the effect of aerobic exercise in different intensities on renal injury and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in the kidney of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and explore possible mechanisms, we subjected SHR to different levels of 14-week aerobic treadmill training. We tested the effects of aerobic exercise on irisin level, renal function, and EMT modulators in the kidney. We also treated angiotensin II-induced HK-2 cells with irisin and tested the changes in EMT levels. The data showed low and moderate aerobic exercise improved renal function and inhibited EMT through promoting irisin expression in SHR. However, high-intensity exercise training had no effect on renal injury and EMT in SHR but did significantly activate STAT3 phosphorylation in the kidney. These results clarify the mechanisms of exercise in improving hypertension-related renal injury and suggest that irisin might be a therapeutic target for patients with kidney injury.

Keywords: Biological sciences; Molecular biology; Physiology.