Metabolomic and transcriptomic insights into the mechanisms of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury progression.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is an important cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the pathophysiological changes and mechanisms during IRI-AKI progression remain unclear. This study aims toinvestigate the potential mechanisms in the progression of IRI-AKI by integrating metabolomics and transcriptomics data, providing a reference for the subsequent identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets. IRI-AKI rat models with 30 min of ischemia and 24-72 h of reperfusion surgery simulating the progression of AKI were established. Compared to the control group underwent sham surgery (NC group), most of the differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in IRI-AKI 24 h and IRI-AKI 72 h decreased, mainly including amino acids, organic acids, and carnitines. Additionally, we found that DEMs were mainly enriched in amino acid-related pathways, among which valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis were dramatically altered in all comparisons. Transcriptomics revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were primarily involved in amino acid, lipid, and fatty acid metabolism. By integrating metabolomics and transcriptomics, we found valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis play key roles in IRI-AKI development. Our findings concluded that valine, leucine, and isoleucine pathways are hubs that potentially connect transcriptomes to metabolomes, providing new insights regarding the pathogenesis of IRI-AKI and its potential biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.