PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy mitigates T-2 toxin-induced nephrotoxicity

T-2 toxin can cause mitochondrial impairment and subsequent renal damage. PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy can mitigate renal impairment by alleviating mitochondrial damage. Nevertheless, the impact of PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in T-2 toxin-induced renal injury remains unclear. Here, we studied the role of PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in T-2 toxin-induced nephrotoxicity. Mitochondrial damage was accompanied by NLRP3-inflammasome activation and PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in the kidney of T-2 toxin-exposed C57BL/6N mice. Knocking out Parkin inhibited the mitophagy but aggravated the structural and functional damage, NLRP3-inflammasome activation, mitochondrial damage, and apoptosis. Correlation analysis revealed that NLRP3-inflammasome activation was correlated with apoptosis. These results show that PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy mitigates T-2 toxin-induced nephrotoxicity.