β-Catenin-Dependent Signaling Pathway Contributes to Renal Fibrosis in Hypertensive Rats

Biomed Res Int. 2015:2015:726012. doi: 10.1155/2015/726012. Epub 2015 Apr 7.

Abstract

The mechanism of hypertension-induced renal fibrosis is not well understood, although it is established that high levels of angiotensin II contribute to the effect. Since β-catenin signal transduction participates in fibrotic processes, we evaluated the contribution of β-catenin-dependent signaling pathway in hypertension-induced renal fibrosis. Two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats were treated with lisinopril (10 mg/kg/day for four weeks) or with pyrvinium pamoate (Wnt signaling inhibitor, single dose of 60 ug/kg, every 3 days for 2 weeks). The treatment with lisinopril reduced the systolic blood pressure from 220 ± 4 in 2K1C rats to 112 ± 5 mmHg (P < 0.05), whereas the reduction in blood pressure with pyrvinium pamoate was not significant (212 ± 6 in 2K1C rats to 170 ± 3 mmHg, P > 0.05). The levels of collagen types I and III, osteopontin, and fibronectin decreased in the unclipped kidney in both treatments compared with 2K1C rats. The expressions of β-catenin, p-Ser9-GSK-3beta, and the β-catenin target genes cyclin D1, c-myc, and bcl-2 significantly decreased in unclipped kidney in both treatments (P < 0.05). In this study we provided evidence that β-catenin-dependent signaling pathway participates in the renal fibrosis induced in 2K1C rats.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiotensin II / genetics
  • Animals
  • Blood Pressure / genetics
  • Cyclin D1 / metabolism
  • Fibrosis / drug therapy
  • Fibrosis / genetics*
  • Fibrosis / pathology
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / drug therapy
  • Hypertension / genetics*
  • Hypertension / pathology
  • Kidney / drug effects
  • Kidney / pathology
  • Kidney Diseases / drug therapy
  • Kidney Diseases / genetics*
  • Kidney Diseases / pathology
  • Lisinopril / administration & dosage
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / metabolism
  • Pyrvinium Compounds / administration & dosage
  • Rats
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • beta Catenin / genetics*

Substances

  • Ccnd1 protein, rat
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
  • Pyrvinium Compounds
  • beta Catenin
  • Angiotensin II
  • Cyclin D1
  • pyrvinium
  • Lisinopril