The role of protein prenylation inhibition through targeting FPPS by zoledronic acid in the prevention of renal fibrosis in rats

Renal fibrosis (RF) represents the most widespread pathological condition in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recently, protein prenylation has been implicated in the fibrosis's progression. The research examined the renoprotective effect of zoledronic acid (ZA) (50 µg/kg/week) in a rat model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced RF through targeting protein prenylation. Forty Wistar male rats were split up into the control group, vehicle-treated group, model-RF group, and RF-ZA group. Mean arterial blood pressure (MBP), BUN, serum creatinine, and urine albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR), protein levels of farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and malondialdehyde (MDA), and catalase and gene expression of farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS) and nuclear factor-kB (NF-κB) were measured. Immunohistochemical staining for renal interleukin-6 (IL-6), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and caspase-3, as well as histopathological alterations, were assessed. ZA considerably ceased the reduction in MBP, markedly reduced uACR, serum creatinine, BUN, and expression of FPPS, FPP, NF-κB, TGF-β, TNF-α, and MDA, and significantly increased catalase levels compared to the model-RF rats. ZA ameliorated the CCl4-induced histopathological alterations and suppressed the expression of caspase-3, α-SMA, and IL-6. In conclusion, ZA preserved renal function and prevented renal fibrosis in a rat model. These were achieved through targeting protein prenylation mainly by inhibiting FPPS.