Tri-domain proteins 27 reduce inflammation and apoptosis in HK-2 cells and protect against acute kidney injury in mice.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The kidney is one of the most commonly damaged organs in sepsis. Acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by sepsis is a clinically dangerous disease with a high mortality rate. Therefore, it is particularly important to find a way to prevent and treat sepsis-induced AKI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human renal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2) and 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice were used. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce HK-2 cell injury and mouse AKI. Lentiviruses overexpressing TRIM27 were constructed to increase TRIM27 expression in HK-2 cells. Then, the effects of TRIM27 on the inflammation and apoptosis of HK-2 cells were analyzed, and those of TRIM27 recombinant protein on AKI in mice was detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot. RESULTS: It was found that TRIM27 overexpression reduced the expressions of inflammatory factors and signaling molecules in apoptosis-related pathways in HK-2 cells, but increased the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax in HK-2 cells, indicating the anti-apoptotic effect of TRIM27. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB signaling pathway is an important mechanism of LPS mediated renal injury, and TRIM27 overexpression in HK-2 cells significantly inhibited the activity of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. In addition, AKI was significantly relieved in mice treated with TRIM27 recombinant. CONCLUSIONS: TRIM27 exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, which effectively alleviates LPS-induced HK-2 cell damage and mouse AKI.