Can mobilization of bone marrow stem cells be an alternative regenerative therapy to stem cell injection in a rat model of chronic kidney disease?

Ameliorating role of co-administration of granulocyte colony stimulating factor and sodium bicarbonate on the skeletal muscle of a rat model of chronic kidney disease (A histological and immunohistochemical study)

Over half million individuals suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD) worldwide. In addition to raising the possibility of cardiovascular diseases, skeletal myopathy remains a challenging complication that is highly correlated with mortality and a lower quality of life. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is an active cytokine for mobilization of immunological and hematopoietic stem cells that can replace exogenous stem cell infusions. So, it is seen as a less expensive and noninvasive tool for regenerative medicine. Sixty three rats were divided into 4 groups: I control, II CKD induced, IIIa, IIIb treated and IV recovery groups. After induction of CKD in all rats, group II were sacrificed after 4 weeks. Rats of group IIIa received NaHCO3. Group IIIb rats were injected subcutaneously by G-CSF as 100 µg/kg/day for 5 successive days in addition to NaHCO3 as group IIIa. Group IV rats were housed for 4 weeks without treatment. Serum urea, creatinine, tissue MDA& TNF-α were assessed. Renal and gastrocnemius muscle sections were evaluated for histological structure, CD34 and myogenin immune expression, morphometric and statistical analyses. The CKD group revealed a significant increase in MDA and TNF-α. Furthermore, features of renal injury, muscle degenerative changes, increased collagen and decreased CD34 and myogenin expression were observed. Alterations were partially attenuated by NaHCO3, while GCSF remarkably improved most parameters. The current results indicated that co-administration of GCSF and NaHCO3 could ameliorate CKD myopathy via attenuating oxidative stress, immunomodulation, pro-angiogenic ability, myocyte regeneration. In addition to the reduction of mitochondrial stress and maintenance of cellular homeostasis.

A Mendelian randomization study investigating the causal relationships between inflammation and immunoglobulin A nephropathy

BACKGROUND

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of galactose‑deficient IgA1 (Gd‑IgA1) and the deposition of immune complexes in the kidney. Exploring the landscape of immune dysregulation in IgAN is valuable for pathogenesis and disease treatment. We conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess the causal correlations between inflammation and IgAN.

METHODS

Based on available genetic datasets, we investigated potential causal links between inflammation and the risk of IgAN using two-sample MR. We used genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of 5 typical inflammation markers, 41 inflammatory cytokines, and 731 immune cell signatures, accessed from the public GWAS Catalog. The primary method employed for MR analysis was Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW). To confirm consistency across results, four supplementary MR methods were also conducted: MR-Egger, Weighted Median, Weighted Mode, and Simple Mode. To assess pleiotropy, we used the MR-Egger regression intercept test and Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO) test. Cochrane's Q statistic was applied to evaluate heterogeneity. Additionally, the stability of the MR findings was verified through the leave-one-out sensitivity analysis.

RESULTS

This study revealed that interleukin-7 (IL-7) and stem cell growth factor beta (SCGF-β) were possibly associated with the risk of IgAN according to the IVW approach, with estimated odds ratios (OR) of 1.059 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.015 to 1.104, P = 0.008) and 1.043 (95 % CI 1.002 to 1.085, P = 0.037). Five immune traits were identified that might be linked to IgAN risk, each with P-values below 0.01, including natural killer T %T cell (OR = 1.058, 95 % CI: 1.020 to 1.097, P = 0.002), natural killer T %lymphocyte (OR = 1.055, 95 % CI: 1.016 to 1.096, P = 0.006), CD25++ CD8+ T cell %T cell (OR = 1.057, 95 % CI: 1.016 to 1.099, P = 0.006), CD3 on effector memory CD4+ T cell (OR = 1.045, 95 % CI: 1.019 to 1.071, P = 0.001), and CD3 on CD28+ CD45RA+ CD8+ T cell (OR = 1.042, 95 % CI: 1.016 to 1.068, P = 0.001). CD4 on central memory CD4+ T cell might be a protective factor for IgAN (OR = 0.922, 95 % CI: 0.875 to 0.971, P = 0.002). Moreover, IgAN may be implicated in a high risk of elevated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) (OR = 1.114, 95 % CI 1.002 to 1.239, P = 0.046).

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed exposures among typical inflammation markers, inflammatory cytokines, and immune cell signatures that may potentially linked to IgAN risk by MR analysis. This insight may advance our understanding of the etiology of IgAN and support the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells inhibit ferroptosis via regulating the Nrf2-keap1/p53 pathway to ameliorate chronic kidney disease injury in the rats

PURPOSE

Although bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) have been reported to exhibit a protective effect on animal models of chronic kidney disease (CKD), the exact mechanisms involved require further investigation. This study aims to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of BMMSCs in inhibiting ferroptosis and preventing an Adriamycin (ADR)-induced CKD injury.

METHODS

A rat model of long-term CKD induced through the injection of ADR administered twice weekly via the tail vein was used in this study. After BMMSCs were systemically administered through the renal artery, pathological staining, western blotting, ELISA, and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze ferroptosis.

RESULTS

Analyses of renal function and histopathological findings indicated that ADR-mediated renal dysfunction improved in response to the BMMSC treatment, which was also sufficient to mediate the partial reversal of renal injury and mitochondrial pathological changes. BMMSCs decreased the ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) and reactive oxygen species and elevated glutathione (GSH) and GSH peroxidase 4. Moreover, the BMMSC treatment activated the expression of ferroptosis-related regulator NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and inhibited Keap1 and p53 in CKD rat kidney tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

BMMSCs alleviate CKD, possibly resulting from the inhibition of kidney ferroptosis by regulating the Nrf2-Keap1/p53 pathway.