Quercetin and Allopurinol Ameliorate Kidney Injury in STZ-Treated Rats with Regulation of Renal NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Lipid Accumulation

Hyperuricemia, hyperlipidemia and inflammation are associated with diabetic nephropathy. The NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation is recently recognized in the development of kidney injury. Urate and lipid are considered as danger signals in the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Although dietary flavonoid quercetin and allopurinol alleviate hyperuricemia, dyslipidmia and inflammation, their nephroprotective effects are currently unknown. In this study, we used streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy model with hyperuricemia and dyslipidemia in rats, and found over-expression of renal inflammasome components NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein and Caspase-1, resulting in elevation of IL-1β and IL-18, with subsequently deteriorated renal injury. These findings demonstrated the possible association between renal NLRP3 inflammasome activation and lipid accumulation to superimpose causes of nephrotoxicity in STZ-treated rats. The treatment of quercetin and allopurinol regulated renal urate transport-related proteins to reduce hyperuricemia, and lipid metabolism-related genes to alleviate kidney lipid accumulation in STZ-treated rats. Furthermore, quercetin and allopurinol were found to suppress renal NLRP3 inflammasome activation, at least partly, via their anti-hyperuricemic and anti-dyslipidemic effects, resulting in the amelioration of STZ-induced the superimposed nephrotoxicity in rats. These results may provide a basis for the prevention of diabetes-associated nephrotoxicity with urate-lowering agents such as quercetin and allopurinol

High glucose induces adipogenic differentiation of muscle-derived stem cells

Regeneration of mesenchymal tissues depends on a resident stem cell population, that in most cases remains elusive in terms of cellular identity and differentiation signals. We here show that primary cell cultures derived from adipose tissue or skeletal muscle differentiate into adipocytes when cultured in high glucose. High glucose induces ROS production and PKCβ activation. These two events appear crucial steps in this differentiation process that can be directly induced by oxidizing agents and inhibited by PKCβ siRNA silencing. The differentiated adipocytes, when implanted in vivo, form viable and vascularized adipose tissue. Overall, the data highlight a previously uncharacterized differentiation route triggered by high glucose that drives not only resident stem cells of the adipose tissue but also uncommitted precursors present in muscle cells to form adipose depots. This process may represent a feed-forward cycle between the regional increase in adiposity and insulin resistance that plays a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus