Ulinastatin attenuates renal fibrosis by regulating AMPK/HIF-1α signaling pathway-mediated glycolysis

Renal fibrosis is a common outcome of chronic kidney diseases and glycolysis drives the development of renal fibrosis in damaged kidneys. Ulinastatin (UTI) is a broad-spectrum protease inhibitor with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties with anti-fibrosis effects. In this study, we aimed to verify whether UTI could exert anti-renal fibrosis effects by inhibiting glycolysis and explored the potential mechanisms. Renal fibrosis was induced in mice via unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Transforming growth factor-β1 stimulates human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells to undergo fibrotic changes. Histopathological staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the kidneys. The levels of fibrosis biomarkers, glycolytic enzymes, and key signaling molecules were determined using gene and protein assays. Cellular energy metabolism was measured using Seahorse XF24 analyzer. Modulated the activity of adenylate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) to confirm that AMPK can regulate HIF-1α-mediated glycolysis. Furthermore, UTI and AMPK knockdown were combined to verify whether UTI could attenuate glycolysis via the AMPK pathway. UTI pretreatment improved UUO-induced renal injury and fibrosis. The expression of fibrosis biomarkers and glycolytic enzymes was reduced by UTI at both mRNA and protein levels. UTI treatment decreased the rate of glycolysis and the production of glycolytic intermediates in fibrotic cells and tissues. Furthermore, AMPK can regulate HIF-1α-mediated glycolysis in renal tubular epithelial cells. Finally, the attenuation of glycolysis by UTI was related to AMPK/HIF-1α pathway, and this effect was inhibited by knockdown AMPK. UTI can effectively alleviate renal fibrosis, which may be partly attributed to the reduction of glycolysis by regulating AMPK/HIF-1α pathway.