In the present study, we investigated the effects of xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibition on cholesterol-induced renal dysfunction in chronic kidney disease (CKD) mice, and in low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-treated human kidney proximal tubule epithelial (HK-2) cells. ApoE knockout (KO) mice underwent uninephrectomy to induce CKD, and were fed a normal diet or high-cholesterol (HC) diet along with the XO inhibitor topiroxostat (1 mg/kg/day). HK-2 cells were treated with LDL (200 µg/mL) and topiroxostat (5 µM) or small interfering RNA against xanthine dehydrogenase (siXDH; 20 nM). In uninephrectomized ApoE KO mice, the HC diet increased cholesterol accumulation, oxidative stress, XO activity, and kidney damage, while topiroxostat attenuated the hypercholesterolemia-associated renal dysfunction. The HC diet induced cholesterol accumulation by regulating the expressions of genes involved in cholesterol efflux (Nr1h3 and Abca1) and synthesis (Srebf2 and Hmgcr), which was reversed by topiroxostat. Topiroxostat suppressed the expressions of genes related to hypercholesterolemia-associated inflammation and fibrosis in the unilateral kidney. LDL stimulation evoked changes in the cholesterol metabolism, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, and NF-κB pathways in HK-2 cells, which were mitigated by XO inhibition with topiroxostat or siXDH. These findings suggest that XO inhibition exerts renoprotective effects against hypercholesterolemia-associated kidney injury. XO could be a novel therapeutic target for hypercholesterolemia-associated kidney injury in uninephrectomized patients.
Keywords: NF-κB pathway; chronic kidney disease; fibrosis; hypercholesterolemia; inflammation; xanthine oxidase.