Representative Rodent Models for Renal Transporter Alterations in Human Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Kayla L Frost1, Joseph L Jilek1, Erica L Toth1

  • 1College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology (K.L.F., J.L.J., E.L.T., N.J.C.) and College of Medicine, Department of Physiology (S.H.W.), The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona and Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey (M.J.G.).

Insights

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) alters kidney transporters. This study identified specific rodent models that mimic human renal transporter changes, aiding future drug safety studies.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Nephrology
  • Hepatology

Background:

  • Adverse drug reactions can arise from altered kidney elimination, including glomerular filtration and tubular secretion.
  • Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is known to affect liver xenobiotic metabolism, but its impact on renal transporters was previously unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate renal transporter alterations in rodent models of NASH.
  • To identify NASH rodent models that accurately recapitulate human renal transporter changes.
  • To enable appropriate model selection for future pharmacokinetic studies and prevent adverse drug reactions.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative protein expression analysis using liquid chromatography-coupled mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) on renal biopsies from NASH patients and rodent models.
  • Concordance analysis of renal transporter expression and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) between human NASH patients and various rodent models (MCD, Athero, db/db, FFDTH, ALIOS).
  • Evaluation of specific transporters including Organic Anion Transporter 3 (OAT3) and OAT5.

Main Results:

  • Rodent models db/db, FFDTH, and ALIOS demonstrated decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR), similar to NASH patients.
  • The FFDTH model uniquely mirrored human changes in Organic Anion Transporter 3 (OAT3) expression.
  • Significant decreases in OAT5 were observed in db/db, FFDTH, and ALIOS models, while MCD models showed an increase, indicating comparability to human OAT5 alterations.

Conclusions:

  • Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis induces variations in rodent renal transporter expression.
  • Specific rodent models (db/db, FFDTH, ALIOS) effectively recapitulate human renal transporter alterations seen in NASH.
  • This research facilitates the selection of suitable models for transporter-specific pharmacokinetic studies, crucial for predicting and preventing drug-induced adverse events.