Inhibition of myeloid differentiation protein 2 attenuates renal ischemia/reperfusion-induced oxidative stress and inflammation via suppressing TLR4/TRAF6/NF-kB pathway

As a major risk factor of acute kidney injury, renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) has a high mortality rate. Myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD-2) is a secretory glycoprotein that plays an important role in inflammation. Our study aimed to explore the roles of MD-2 in I/R-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro. For the in vivo studies, male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: 1) sham, 2) I/R, 3) negative control for siRNA (siNC) and I/R treatment, or 4) MD-2 siRNA (siMD-2) and I/R. Levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine in the plasma were tested, and hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed at 24 h after I/R injury. The inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1 were measured using ELISA and Real-time qPCR (RT-qPCR). Malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity were estimated. For the in vitro studies, HK-2 cells were transfected with siMD-2 and then exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Inflammatory cytokine expression and oxidative stress then were evaluated. We found decreased levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels after MD-2 silencing. MD-2 deficiency improved histological damage. MD-2 downregulation attenuated levels of inflammatory cytokines. Inhibition of MD-2 resulted in reduced MDA content and increased SOD, CAT, and GPx activity. Loss of function of MD-2 inhibited the H/R-induced production and expression of inflammatory cytokines. MD-2 silencing reduced MDA content after H/R, and MD-2 suppression enhanced SOD, CAT, and GPx activity. MD-2 deficiency also blocked H/R-mediated activation of the TLR4/TRAF6/NF-κB pathway, and pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) pretreatment strengthened the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant damage effects of MD-2 silencing. Taken together, our study revealed that MD-2 deficiency ameliorated renal I/R-induced inflammation and oxidative stress via inhibition of TLR4/TRAF6/NF-κB pathway.