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Updated: May 29, 2026

Early Detection of Drug-Induced Renal Hemodynamic Dysfunction Using Sonographic Technology in Rats
Published on: March 11, 2016
Vanin-1: a potential biomarker for nephrotoxicant-induced renal injury
Keiko Hosohata1, Hitoshi Ando, Yoko Fujiwara
1Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan.
Abstract:
Because traditional markers for detecting renal injury are generally insensitive and nonspecific, we tried to identify some useful biomarkers. Microarray analyses and quantitative real-time PCR using human renal tubular cells showed that the mRNA expression of VNN-1 which encodes vanin-1, increased after the exposure of these cells to organic solvents (allyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde, chloroform, and phenol) for 24h. The mRNA levels of other inflammation-related molecules such as monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) also increased after the exposure to organic solvents, although their elevations were slower than that of vanin-1. In rats treated with ethylene glycol for 3 weeks, tubular injury was detected by histological examination, but not by traditional biomarkers including serum creatinine and urinary N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase. The mRNA levels of vanin-1 and Kim-1, but not MCP-1, significantly elevated in the renal cortices of ethylene glycol-exposed rats. On immunofluorescence analyses, vanin-1 signal was detected specifically in the renal tubules with a remarkable expression in the ethylene glycol-treated rats. As a result, compared with control group, higher urinary and serum concentrations of vanin-1 were observed in the ethylene glycol-treated group. These results suggest that vanin-1 is a useful and rapid biomarker for renal tubular injury induced by organic solvents.
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