Cardiotrophin-1 opposes renal fibrosis in mice: Potential prevention of chronic kidney disease

Aim: Chronic kidney disease is characterized by tubulointerstitial fibrosis involving inflammation, tubular apoptosis, fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix accumulation. Cardiotrophin-1, a member of the interleukin-6 family of cytokines, protects several organs from damage by promoting survival and anti-inflammatory effects. However, whether cardiotrophin-1 participates in the response to chronic kidney injury leading to renal fibrosis is unknown.

Methods: We hypothesized and assessed the potential role of cardiotrophin-1 in a mice model of tubulointerstitial fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO).

Results: Three days after UUO, obstructed kidneys from cardiotrophin-1^-/- mice show higher expression of inflammatory markers IL-1β, Cd68, ICAM-1, COX-2 and iNOs, higher activation of NF-κB, higher amount of myofibroblasts and higher severity of tubular damage and apoptosis, compared with obstructed kidneys from wild-type littermates. In a later stage, obstructed kidneys from cardiotrophin-1^-/- mice show higher fibrosis than obstructed kidneys from wild-type mice. Interestingly, administration of exogenous cardiotrophin-1 prevents the increased fibrosis resulting from the genetic knockout of cardiotrophin-1 upon UUO, and supplementation of wild-type mice with exogenous cardiotrophin-1 further reduces the renal fibrosis induced by UUO. In vitro, renal myofibroblasts from cardiotrophin-1^-/- mice have higher collagen I and fibronectin expression and higher NF-κB activation than wild-type cells.

Conclusions: Cardiotrophin-1 participates in the endogenous response that opposes renal damage by counteracting the inflammatory, apoptotic and fibrotic processes. And exogenous cardiotrophin-1 is proposed as a candidate for the treatment and prevention of chronic renal fibrosis.