Bioactive peptide apelin rescues acute kidney injury by protecting the function of renal tubular mitochondria.

Abstract

Mitochondrial dysfunction in proximal tubular epithelial cells is a key event in acute kidney injury (AKI), which is a risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Apelin is a bioactive peptide that protects against AKI by alleviating inflammation, inhibiting apoptosis, and preventing lipid oxidation, but its role in protecting against mitochondrial damage remains unknown. Herein, we examined the protective effects of apelin on mitochondria in cisplatin-stimulated human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells and evaluated its therapeutic efficacy in cisplatin-induced AKI mice. In vitro, apelin inhibited the cisplatin-induced mitochondrial fission factor (MFF) upregulation and the fusion-promoting protein optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) downregulation. Apelin co-treatment reversed the decreased levels of the deacetylase, Sirt3, and the increased levels of protein acetylation in mitochondria of cisplatin-stimulated cells. Overall, apelin improved the mitochondrial morphology and membrane potential in vitro. In the AKI model, apelin administration significantly attenuated mitochondrial damage, as evidenced by longer mitochondrial profiles and increased ATP levels in the renal cortex. Suppression of MFF expression, and maintenance of Sirt3 and OPA1 expression in apelin-treated AKI mice was also observed. Finally, exogenous administration of apelin normalized the serum level of creatinine and urea nitrogen and the urine levels of NGAL and Kim-1. We also confirmed a regulatory pathway that drives mitochondrial homeostasis including PGC-1α, ERRα and Sirt3. In conclusion, we demonstrated that apelin ameliorates renal functions by protecting tubular mitochondria through Sirt3 upregulation, which is a novel protective mechanism of apelin in AKI. These results suggest that apelin has potential renoprotective effects and may be an effective agent for AKI treatment to significantly retard CKD progression.

• Authors: Yi-Ming Guan, Zong-Li Diao, Hong-Dong Huang, Jun-Fang Zheng, Qi-Dong Zhang, Li-Yan Wang, Wen-Hu Liu
• Journal: Amino acids (Amino Acids) Vol. 53 Issue 8 Pg. 1229-1240 (Aug 2021) ISSN: 1438-2199 [Electronic] Austria
• PMID: 34254213 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.

Chemical References

• APLN protein, human
• Antineoplastic Agents
• Apelin
• SIRT3 protein, human
• Sirtuin 3
• Cisplatin

Topics

• Acute Kidney Injury (chemically induced, metabolism)
• Animals
• Antineoplastic Agents (toxicity)
• Apelin (metabolism)
• Cells, Cultured
• Cisplatin (toxicity)
• Humans
• Kidney Tubules, Proximal (cytology, drug effects, metabolism)
• Male
• Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Mitochondria (metabolism)
• Sirtuin 3 (metabolism)