Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important biological process contributing to kidney fibrosis and chronic kidney disease. This process is characterized by decreased epithelial phenotypes/markers and increased mesenchymal phenotypes/markers. Tubular epithelial cells (TECs) are commonly susceptible to EMT by various stimuli, for example, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), cellular communication network factor 2, angiotensin-II, fibroblast growth factor-2, oncostatin M, matrix metalloproteinase-2, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasmin, interleukin-1β, and reactive oxygen species. Similarly, glomerular podocytes can undergo EMT via these stimuli and by high glucose condition in diabetic kidney disease. EMT of TECs and podocytes leads to tubulointerstitial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis, respectively. Signaling pathways involved in EMT-mediated kidney fibrosis are diverse and complex. TGF-β1/Smad and Wnt/β-catenin pathways are the major venues triggering EMT in TECs and podocytes. These two pathways thus serve as the major therapeutic targets against EMT-mediated kidney fibrosis. To date, a number of EMT inhibitors have been identified and characterized. As expected, the majority of these EMT inhibitors affect TGF-β1/Smad and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. In addition to kidney fibrosis, these EMT-targeted antifibrotic inhibitors are expected to be effective for treatment against fibrosis in other organs/tissues.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dvg.23529 | DOI Listing |
Inflamm Regen
December 2024
Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, 467-8603, Japan.
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) act together to regulate blood pressure and systemic blood flow by appropriately adjusting blood vessel diameter in response to biochemical or biomechanical stimuli. Ion channels that are expressed in these cells regulate membrane potential and cytosolic Ca concentration ([Ca]) in response to such stimuli. The subsets of these ion channels involved in Ca signaling often form molecular complexes with intracellular molecules via scaffolding proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Aging
December 2024
Université Côte d'Azur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR7284, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1081, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France.
Although senescent cells can be eliminated by the immune system, they tend to accumulate with age in various tissues. Here we show that senescent cells can evade immune clearance by natural killer (NK) cells by upregulating the expression of the disialylated ganglioside GD3 at their surface. The increased level of GD3 expression on senescent cells that naturally occurs upon aging in liver, lung, kidney or bones leads to a strong suppression of NK-cell-mediated immunosurveillance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMar Drugs
November 2024
Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) serves as a home-based kidney replacement therapy with increasing utilization across the globe. However, long-term use of high-glucose-based PD solution incites repeated peritoneal injury and inevitable peritoneal fibrosis, thus compromising treatment efficacy and resulting in ultrafiltration failure eventually. In the present study, we utilized human mesothelial MeT-5A cells for the in vitro experiments and a PD mouse model for in vivo validation to study the pathophysiological mechanisms underneath PD-associated peritoneal fibrosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pers Med
December 2024
Department of Nephrology, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a chronic disorder characterized by kidney fibrosis and extracellular matrix accumulation that can lead to end-stage kidney disease. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, inflammatory cytokines, the TGF-β pathway, Wnt/β-catenin signaling, the Notch pathway, and the NF-κB pathway all play crucial roles in the progression of fibrosis. Current medications, such as renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, try to delay disease development but do not stop or reverse fibrosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Issues Mol Biol
December 2024
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Science, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan 20118, Indonesia.
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) significantly increases mortality, with patients facing a fourfold risk of death within ten years. Chronic inflammation, marked by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) activity, contributes to kidney damage and fibrosis. This study investigates the effect of autologous dendritic cells on inflammation and kidney function, focusing on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), TGF-β, and ICAM-1 levels.
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