Farrerol ameliorated renal fibrosis mediated by mitophagy deficiency in
cisplatin-induced chronic kidney disease via Nrf2/PINK1
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Mitochondrial dysfunction is essential in renal
tubular damage, and mitophagy, a selective form of autophagy,
specifically eliminates damaged mitochondria. Mitophagy reportedly
protects against diabetic kidney disease, cisplatin-induced acute kidney
injury (AKI) and other related kidney diseases, but the specific
mechanism by which mitophagy protects against cisplatin-induced chronic
kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear. Experimental Approach: The effects
of farrerol on cisplatin-induced AKI in mice were investigated. C57BL/6
wild-type and Nrf2 knockout mice were used to evaluate the protective
effect of farrerol on cisplatin-induced CKD. Key Results: we confirmed
that Nrf2- and PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy was significantly
increased on the 3rd day of cisplatin stimulation but was reduced on the
38th day of cisplatin stimulation. Similar to previous results,
farrerol, a natural compound, also activated Nrf2 on the 38th day of
cisplatin administration, subsequently stimulating the Nrf2-targeted
antioxidant enzymes HO-1 and NQO1. In addition, farrerol triggered
PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy by recruiting the receptor proteins LC3
and p62/SQSTM1, thereby eliminating damaged mitochondria. Furthermore,
genetic deletion of Nrf2 reduced PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy
activation and led to increased renal tubular necrosis and renal
fibrosis. We also found that farrerol alleviated inflammation and renal
fibrosis by inhibiting p-NF-κB/NLRP3 and TGF-β/Smad signaling.
Conclusions: These data indicated that farrerol effectively inhibited
cisplatin-induced inflammation and renal fibrosis by activating Nrf2 and
PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy, which provides a potential novel
therapeutic target for CKD.