Increased Prorenin Expression in the Kidneys May Be Involved in the Abnormal Renal Function Caused by Prolonged Environmental Exposure to Microcystin-LR

• Published in: Toxics (Basel) 2024-07, Vol.12 (8), p.547
• Main Authors: Hitsuda, Yuuka, Koto, Yoshihito, Kawahara, Hideaki, Kurata, Koichi, Yoshikiyo, Keisuke, Nishimura, Kohji, Hashiguchi, Ayumi, Maseda, Hideaki, Okano, Kunihiro, Sugiura, Norio, Shimizu, Kazuya, Shimizu, Hidehisa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actin; Algae; Coronary vessels; Creatinine; Cyanobacteria; cyanotoxin; Drinking water; Eutrophic lakes; Eutrophication; Fibrosis; Gene expression; Growth factors; Histopathology; Kidney diseases; Kidneys; Kinases; Menstruation; microcystin; Microcystin-LR; Microcystins; Molecular modelling; Oral administration; Penicillin; Plasma; prorenin; Renal cortex; renal fibrosis; Renal function; Renin; Smooth muscle; TGFβ1; Transforming growth factor-b1; Urea; Water quality; α-SMA
• ISSN: 2305-6304; 2305-6304
• DOI: 10.3390/toxics12080547

Toxic algae in eutrophic lakes produce cyanotoxic microcystins. Prior research on the effect of microcystin-LR in the kidney utilized intraperitoneal injections, which did not reflect natural exposure. Oral microcystin-LR research has focused on renal function and histopathology without examining the molecular mechanisms. The present study aimed to evaluate the mechanism of microcystin-LR in the kidneys via oral administration in WKAH/HkmSlc rats over 7 weeks, alongside stimulation of the proximal tubular cells. Although there were no differences in the concentrations of plasma albumin, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine, which are parameters of renal function, between the control and microcystin-LR-administrated rats, expression was significantly increased in the renal cortex of the rats administered microcystin-LR and the microcystin-LR-treated proximal tubular cells. The expression levels of ( ), ( ), and ( ) in the renal cortex did not differ significantly between the control and microcystin-LR-administered rats. However, the expression levels of were significantly positively correlated with those of , , and in the renal cortex of rats administered microcystin-LR. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was observed between the expression levels of and . Collectively, increased expression caused by the long-term consumption of microcystin-LR may initiate a process that influences renal fibrosis and abnormal renal function by regulating the expression levels of , , and .