| Renal fbrosis is characterized by accumulation of extracellular matrix components and collagen deposition. TGF-β1 acts
as a master switch promoting renal fbrosis through Smad dependent and/or Smad independent pathways. Thirty-fve male
C57BL/6 mice were divided into fve groups of seven each; sham, unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), UUO+galunisertib
(150 and 300 mg/kg/day), galunisertib (300 mg/kg/day). The UUO markedly induced renal fbrosis and injury as indicated
by renal functional loss, increased levels of collagen Iα1, fbronectin and α-SMA; it also activated both the Smad 2/3 and
MAPKs pathways as indicated by increased levels of TGF-β1, p-Smad 2, p-Smad 3, p-p38, p-JNK and p-ERK. These UUOinduced changes were markedly attenuated by oral administration of galunisertib, the TGFβRI small molecule inhibitor.
In conclusion, we demonstrated that TGF-β1 receptor blockade can prevent UUO-induced renal fbrosis through indirect
modulation of Smad and MAPKs signaling pathways and may be useful as a therapeutic agent in treatment and/or prevention of renal fbrosis. |