ICURT Proceedings
Diabetic Nephropathy and Proximal Tubular Damage

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Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of uremia in developed societies. Inflammation is emerging as an important mechanism for its pathogenesis and progression. Herein, we review 4 recently described cellular receptors that have been shown to mediate diabetic interstitial kidney disease. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ attenuates STAT-1 activation and has shown promise in renoprotection. Its clinical utility is limited mainly by fluid retention through upregulation of sodium–hydrogen exchanger-3 and aquaporin-1 channels in the proximal tubule. The bradykinin receptor 2 of the kallikrein–kinin system has been shown to mediate diabetic kidney injury and its blockade conferred renoprotective effects in animal models of DN. The related protease-activated receptor, especially receptor 4, has recently been shown to participate in DN. Further studies are required to confirm its role. Finally, the toll-like receptor, especially TLR4 and TLR2, has been verified in multiple models to be a significant sensor of and reactor to hyperglycemia and other diabetic substrates that orchestrate interstitial inflammation in DN.

Section snippets

The Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a family of ligand-activated nuclear hormone receptors belonging to the steroid receptor superfamily. The antidiabetic thiazolidinedione group of drugs, such as troglitazone and rosiglitazone, are specific synthetic ligands of PPAR-γ, and this interaction is responsible for the insulin-sensitizing and hypoglycemic effect of these drugs. Advanced glycation end-products in the form of glycated albumin stimulated PTECs to overexpress adhesion

The Kinin Receptor

The kallikrein–kinin system (KKS) has been associated with inflammation, coagulation, pain, and vascular permeability through the generation of kinins. Tissue kallikrein (KLK1), one of the components of KKS, is a serine protease that cleaves low–molecular weight kininogen into kinin, which exerts the biological functions through kinin receptor B1R and B2R signaling. The KKS has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of DN. HG induced KLK1 and B2R expression in cultured PTECs and in human

The Protease-Activated Receptor

Although most of the biological functions of KLK1 are mediated by kinin receptor signaling, recent studies suggest that KLK1 may also activate protease-activated receptors (PARs) in inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases.14 PARs are a subfamily of G protein–coupled receptors that are activated or inhibited by serine protease to expose a tethered ligand that binds to the receptor for signal transduction. There are four known members in the family, in which PAR-1 and PAR-3 are activated mainly

The Toll-Like Receptor

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) belong to the “interleukin-1 receptor/toll-like receptor superfamily,” which have the same cytoplasmic domain as the TIR (toll–IL-1 receptor) domain and share a similar pathway of activation. When activated, TLRs recruit different adapter molecules and then initiate diverse downstream signaling cascades including MyD88-dependent and independent pathways, resulting in engagement of transcription factors nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B (NF-κB),

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a General Research Fund of the Research Grants Council (grant number: HKU 779611M) of Hong Kong, the National Basic Research Program of China 973 program no. 2012CB517600 (no. 2012CB517606), an Endowment Fund established for the “Yu Professorship in Nephrology” awarded to S.C.W.T., and the Hong Kong Society of Nephrology Research Grant 2010. W.H.Y. is partially supported by generous donations from Mr. Winston Leung, and the Hong Kong Concrete and the Continental

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Financial Disclosure: See Acknowledgments on page 232.

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