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Knops N, Ramazani Y, De Loor H, Goldschmeding R, Nguyen TQ, van den Heuvel LP, Levtchenko E, Kuypers DJ. Tacrolimus induces a pro-fibrotic response in donor-derived human proximal tubule cells dependent on common variants of the CYP3A5 and ABCB1 genes. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2022; 38:599-609. [PMID: 35945682 PMCID: PMC9976759 DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfac237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Common genetic variants of the enzymes and efflux pump involved in tacrolimus disposition have been associated with calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, but their importance is unclear because of the multifactorial background of renal fibrosis. This study explores the pro-fibrotic response of tacrolimus exposure in relation to the differential capacity for tacrolimus metabolism in proximal tubule cells (PTCs) with a variable (pharmaco)genetic background. METHODS PTCs were obtained from protocol allograft biopsies with different combinations of CYP3A5 and ABCB1 variants and were incubated with tacrolimus within the concentration range found in vivo. Gene and protein expression, CYP3A5 and P-glycoprotein function, and tacrolimus metabolites were measured in PTC. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression was assessed in protocol biopsies of kidney allograft recipients. RESULTS PTCs produce CTGF in response to escalating tacrolimus exposure, which is approximately 2-fold higher in cells with the CYP3A5*1 and ABCB1 TT combination in vitro. Increasing tacrolimus exposure results in relative higher generation of the main tacrolimus metabolite {13-O-desmethyl tacrolimus [M1]} in cells with this same genetic background. Protocol biopsies show a larger increase in in vivo CTGF tissue expression over time in TT vs. CC/CT but was not affected by the CYP3A5 genotype. CONCLUSIONS Tacrolimus exposure induces a pro-fibrotic response in a PTC model in function of the donor pharmacogenetic background associated with tacrolimus metabolism. This finding provides a mechanistic insight into the nephrotoxicity associated with tacrolimus treatment and offers opportunities for a tailored immunosuppressive treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Henriëtte De Loor
- Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roel Goldschmeding
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tri Q Nguyen
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lambert P van den Heuvel
- Laboratory of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Growth and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,Translational Metabolic Laboratory and Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Elena Levtchenko
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology and Solid Organ Transplantation, UZ Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,Laboratory of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Growth and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk J Kuypers
- Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Ramazani Y, Knops N, Berlingerio SP, Adebayo OC, Lismont C, Kuypers DJ, Levtchenko E, van den Heuvel LP, Fransen M. Therapeutic concentrations of calcineurin inhibitors do not deregulate glutathione redox balance in human renal proximal tubule cells. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250996. [PMID: 33930094 PMCID: PMC8087105 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) cyclosporine A and tacrolimus comprise the basis of immunosuppressive regimes in all solid organ transplantation. However, long-term or high exposure to CNI leads to histological and functional renal damage (CNI-associated nephrotoxicity). In the kidney, proximal tubule cells are the only cells that metabolize CNI and these cells are believed to play a central role in the origin of the toxicity for this class of drugs, although the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Several studies have reported oxidative stress as an important mediator of CNI-associated nephrotoxicity in response to CNI exposure in different available proximal tubule cell models. However, former models often made use of supra-therapeutic levels of tissue drug exposure. In addition, they were not shown to express the relevant enzymes (e.g., CYP3A5) and transporters (e.g., P-glycoprotein) for the metabolism of CNI in human proximal tubule cells. Moreover, the used methods for detecting ROS were potentially prone to false positive results. In this study, we used a novel proximal tubule cell model established from human allograft biopsies that demonstrated functional expression of relevant enzymes and transporters for the disposition of CNI. We exposed these cells to CNI concentrations as found in tissue of stable solid organ transplant recipients with therapeutic blood concentrations. We measured the glutathione redox balance in this cell model by using organelle-targeted variants of roGFP2, a highly sensitive green fluorescent reporter protein that dynamically equilibrates with the glutathione redox couple through the action of endogenous glutaredoxins. Our findings provide evidence that CNI, at concentrations commonly found in allograft biopsies, do not alter the glutathione redox balance in mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the cytosol. However, at supra-therapeutic concentrations, cyclosporine A but not tacrolimus increases the ratio of oxidized/reduced glutathione in the mitochondria, suggestive of imbalances in the redox environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasaman Ramazani
- Laboratory of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Growth and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Noël Knops
- Laboratory of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Growth and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology and Solid Organ Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sante Princiero Berlingerio
- Laboratory of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Growth and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Celien Lismont
- Laboratory of Peroxisome Biology and Intracellular Communication, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk J. Kuypers
- Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation and Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elena Levtchenko
- Laboratory of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Growth and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology and Solid Organ Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lambert P. van den Heuvel
- Laboratory of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Growth and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Translational Metabolic Laboratory and Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marc Fransen
- Laboratory of Peroxisome Biology and Intracellular Communication, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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