JCI Insight. 2020 Oct 2;5(19):142187. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.142187.
Fibrosis is the final common pathway in the pathophysiology of most forms of chronic kidney disease (CKD). As treatment of renal fibrosis still remains largely supportive, a refined understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of kidney fibrosis and the development of novel compounds are urgently needed. Whether arginases play a role in the development of fibrosis in CKD is unclear. We hypothesized that endothelial arginase-2 (Arg2) promotes the development of kidney fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Arg2 expression and arginase activity significantly increased following renal fibrosis. Pharmacologic blockade or genetic deficiency of Arg2 conferred kidney protection following renal fibrosis, as reflected by a reduction in kidney interstitial fibrosis and fibrotic markers. Selective deletion of Arg2 in endothelial cells (Tie2Cre/Arg2fl/fl) reduced the level of fibrosis after UUO. In contrast, selective deletion of Arg2 specifically in proximal tubular cells (Ggt1Cre/Arg2fl/fl) failed to reduce renal fibrosis after UUO. Furthermore, arginase inhibition restored kidney nitric oxide (NO) levels, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial function following UUO. These findings indicate that endothelial Arg2 plays a major role in renal fibrosis via its action on NO and mitochondrial function. Blocking Arg2 activity or expression could be a novel therapeutic approach for prevention of CKD.
纤维化是大多数慢性肾脏病(CKD)病理生理学的最终共同途径。由于肾纤维化的治疗仍然主要是支持性的,因此迫切需要更精细地了解肾脏纤维化的细胞和分子机制,并开发新的化合物。精氨酸酶是否在 CKD 纤维化的发展中起作用尚不清楚。我们假设内皮细胞精氨酸酶-2(Arg2)促进单侧输尿管梗阻(UUO)引起的肾脏纤维化的发展。肾纤维化后,Arg2 表达和精氨酸酶活性显著增加。肾纤维化后,Arg2 的药理学阻断或基因缺失赋予了肾脏保护作用,表现为肾间质纤维化和纤维化标志物减少。内皮细胞(Tie2Cre/Arg2fl/fl)中 Arg2 的选择性缺失减少了 UUO 后的纤维化水平。相比之下,近端肾小管细胞(Ggt1Cre/Arg2fl/fl)中 Arg2 的特异性缺失未能减少 UUO 后的肾纤维化。此外,精氨酸酶抑制作用恢复了 UUO 后肾脏的一氧化氮(NO)水平、氧化应激和线粒体功能。这些发现表明,内皮 Arg2 通过其对 NO 和线粒体功能的作用在肾脏纤维化中起主要作用。阻断 Arg2 活性或表达可能是预防 CKD 的一种新的治疗方法。
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