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Short-chain fatty acids ameliorate experimental anti-glomerular basement membrane disease
Jing Liu1, Qiu-Hua Gu2, Zhao Cui3
1Renal Division, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China; Institute of Nephrology, Peking University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of Renal Disease, Ministry of Health of China, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of CKD Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing, China; Research Units of Diagnosis and Treatment of Immune-mediated Kidney Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), as the link between gut microbiota and the immune system, had been reported to be protective in many autoimmune diseases by the modulation of T cell differentiation. The pathogenic role of autoreactive Th1 and Th17 cells and the protective role of Treg cells in the pathogenesis of anti-GBM disease have been fully demonstrated. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of SCFAs in a rat model of anti-GBM disease.
Materials And Methods:
Experimental anti-GBM disease was constructed by immunizing Wistar Kyoto rats with a nephrogenic T cell epitope α3127-148, and intervened by sodium acetate, sodium propionate, or sodium butyrate, 150 mM in the drinking water from day 0 to 42. Kidney injury was accessed by the biochemical analyzer, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. Antibody response was detected by ELISA. T cell clustering and proliferation were detected by flow cytometry. Human kidney 2 (HK2) cells were stimulated in vitro and cytokines were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR.
Results:
Treatment with sodium acetate, sodium propionate, or sodium butyrate ameliorated the severity of kidney impairment in rats with anti-GBM glomerulonephritis. In the sodium butyrate-treated rats, the urinary protein, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen levels were significantly lower; the percentage of crescent formation in glomeruli was significantly reduced; and the kidneys showed reduced IgG deposition, complement activation, T cell, and macrophage infiltration as well as the level of circulating antibodies against anti-α3(IV)NC1. The treatment of sodium butyrate reduced the α3127-148-specific T cell activation and increased the Treg cells differentiation and the intestinal beneficial bacteria flora. It also alleviated the damage of HK2 cells treated with inflammatory factors and complement.
Conclusion:
Treatment with SCFAs, especially butyrate, alleviated anti-GBM nephritis in rat model, indicating its potential therapeutic effects in clinical usage.
