Telocinobufagin, a Novel Cardiotonic Steroid, Promotes Renal Fibrosis via Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase Profibrotic Signaling Pathways Article (Faculty180)

cited authors

  • Kennedy, David J; Khalaf, Fatimah K; Sheehy, Brendan; Weber, Malory E; Agatisa-Boyle, Brendan; Conic, Julijana; Hauser, Kayla; Medert, Charles M; Westfall, Kristen; Bucur, Philip; Fedorova, Olga V; Bagrov, Alexei Y; Tang, W H Wilson

description

  • Cardiotonic steroids (CTS) are Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) ligands that are elevated in volume-expanded states and associated with cardiac and renal dysfunction in both clinical and experimental settings. We test the hypothesis that the CTS telocinobufagin (TCB) promotes renal dysfunction in a process involving signaling through the NKA α-1 in the following studies. First, we infuse TCB (4 weeks at 0.1 µg/g/day) or a vehicle into mice expressing wild-type (WT) NKA α-1, as well as mice with a genetic reduction (~40%) of NKA α-1 (NKA α-1). Continuous TCB infusion results in increased proteinuria and cystatin C in WT mice which are significantly attenuated in NKA α-1 mice (all < 0.05), despite similar increases in blood pressure. In a series of in vitro experiments, 24-h treatment of HK2 renal proximal tubular cells with TCB results in significant dose-dependent increases in both Collagens 1 and 3 mRNA (2-fold increases at 10 nM, 5-fold increases at 100 nM, 0.05). Similar effects are seen in primary human renal mesangial cells. TCB treatment (100 nM) of SYF fibroblasts reconstituted with cSrc results in a 1.5-fold increase in Collagens 1 and 3 mRNA ( 0.05), as well as increases in both Transforming Growth factor beta (TGFb, 1.5 fold, 0.05) and Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF, 2 fold, 0.05), while these effects are absent in SYF cells without Src kinase. In a patient study of subjects with chronic kidney disease, TCB is elevated compared to healthy volunteers. These studies suggest that the pro-fibrotic effects of TCB in the kidney are mediated though the NKA-Src kinase signaling pathway and may have relevance to volume-overloaded conditions, such as chronic kidney disease where TCB is elevated.

publication date

  • 2018

volume

  • 19