Experimental chronic kidney disease attenuates ischemia-reperfusion injury in an ex vivo rat lung model

Lung ischemia reperfusion injury (LIRI) is one of important complications following lung transplant and cardiopulmonary bypass. Although patients on hemodialysis are still excluded as lung transplant donors because of the possible effects of renal failure on the lungs, increased organ demand has led us to evaluate the influence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on LIRI. A CKD model was induced by feeding Sprague-Dawley rats an adenine-rich (0.75%) diet for 2, 4 and 6 weeks, and an isolated rat lung in situ model was used to evaluate ischemia reperfusion (IR)-induced acute lung injury. The clinicopathological parameters of LIRI, including pulmonary edema, lipid peroxidation, histopathological changes, immunohistochemistry changes, chemokine CXCL1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, heat shock protein expression, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation were determined. Our results indicated that adenine-fed rats developed CKD as characterized by increased blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels and the deposition of crystals in the renal tubules and interstitium. IR induced a significant increase in the pulmonary arterial pressure, lung edema, lung injury scores, the expression of CXCL1 mRNA, iNOS level, and protein concentration of the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The tumor necrosis factor-α levels in the BALF and perfusate; the interleukin-10 level in the perfusate; and the malondialdehyde levels in the lung tissue and perfusate were also significantly increased by LIRI. Counterintuitively, adenine-induced CKD significantly attenuated the severity of lung injury induced by IR. CKD rats exhibited increased heat shock protein 70 expression and decreased activation of NF-κB signaling. In conclusion, adenine-induced CKD attenuated LIRI by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway.