Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States because of the increased risk for cardiovascular mortality. The major functional cell type of the kidney, tubular epithelial cells (TECs), possess a limited ability to regenerate tissues. Infections can cause proximal G2/M cell cycle arrest, senescence and paracrine secretion of the profibrotic cytokines transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), which stimulate extracellular matrix production ultimately leading to loss of the epithelial phenotype in TECs. Identification of targets controlling the G2/M cell cycle arrest in TECs may enable the development of therapeutics that can prevent CKD progression.
Researchers at Jiangsu Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. and Medshine Discovery Inc. have identified azobenzene compounds acting as endothelin-1 receptor (EDNRA; ETA) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of IgA nephropathy.
Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is one of the byproducts of protein methylation, and it has been previously identified as an independent cardiovascular risk factor in patients with chronic kidney disease. The majority of SDMA is excreted through renal tubules; however, its effect on kidney in pathological conditions is not fully understood. In a recent study, researchers from Shuguang Hospital aimed to investigate the role of SDMA in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis.
Rona Therapeutics Inc. and Keymed Biosciences Co. Ltd. have established a collaboration to jointly discover and develop first-in-class siRNA therapeutics for glomerulonephritis. The collaboration will leverage both companies’ scientific and technological expertise and will build on Rona’s proprietary platform in RNAi targeting liver and extrahepatic tissues.
The limited state of current clinical transplantation science was recently the subject of an opinion piece from an individual that received her first heart transplant at just 25 years of age only to soon succumb at the age of 60 to one of the many risky outcomes expected for anyone taking standard requisite immunosuppression regimens used for any transplantation, in her case terminal cancer.
Long Island University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine have jointly developed intermediate conductance KCa3.1 (IKCa1) channel blockers reported to be useful for the treatment of renal disorders.
A recent study investigated the role of neuraminidase 1 (NEU1) in renal fibrosis. Researchers found increased levels of NEU1 in the fibrotic kidneys of patients and two mouse models of renal fibrosis (mice subjected to unilateral ureteral obstruction or administered folic acid).
The common pathological pathway in progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) is tissue fibrosis and chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) plays a key role in the development of fibrosis.
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