ABSTRACT
Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of endstage renal disease. Approaches targeting angiotensin II significantly delay its progression. However, many patients still need renal replacement therapy. High throughput techniques such as unbiased gene expression profiling and proteomics may identify new therapeutic targets. Cell death is thought to contribute to progressive renal cell depletion in chronic nephropathies. A European collaborative effort recently applied renal biopsy transcriptomics to identify novel mediators of renal cell death in diabetic nephropathy. Twenty-five percent of cell death regulatory genes were upor downregulated in diabetic kidneys. TNF-related apoptosisinducing ligand (TRAIL) and osteoprotegerin had the highest level of expression. In diabetic nephropathy, tubular cells and podocytes express TRAIL. Inflammatory cytokines, including MIF via CD74, upregulate TRAIL. A high glucose environment sensitized renal cells to the lethal effect of TRAIL, while osteoprotegerin is protective. These results suggest that, in addition to glucose levels, inflammation and TRAIL are therapeutic targets in diabetic nephropathy.
Subject(s)
Diabetic Nephropathies/genetics , TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/genetics , Diabetic Nephropathies/complications , Diabetic Nephropathies/drug therapy , Humans , Hyperglycemia/complications , Inflammation/complications , Transcription, GeneticABSTRACT
A high glucose concentration is shared by peritoneal dialysis (PD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). High glucose leads to tissue injury in diabetes. Peritoneal dialysis research has emphasized the role of glucose degradation products in tissue injury. Apoptosis induction is one of the mechanisms of tissue injury induced both by glucose and glucose degradation products. We now review the role of apoptosis and its regulation by glucose degradation products in antibacterial defense and loss of renal function in diabetes mellitus and peritoneal dialysis. The pathogenic role of the recently identified glucose degradation product 3,4-di-deoxyglucosone- 3-ene (3,4-DGE) is detailed. Available therapeutic strategies include the use of peritoneal dialysis solutions containing a low concentration of glucose degradation products. Based on preclinical results, specific targeting of apoptosis regulatory factor should be explored in the clinical setting.
