Abstract 215: The Role of ER Stress in Renal Diseases in Metabolic Syndrome Animals : Blockade by Natural Antioxidants

Abstract

ER stress has been implicated in hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, all of which are hallmarks of metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS is also characterized by an increased risk for cardio-renal diseases. Recent evidences demonstrate a role for ER stress in kidney injury. Recently we demonstrated that blueberry (BB) treatment attenuates renal injury in spontaneously hypertensive rats. However, the mechanism for this protective effect is not known. Since blueberries are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, we hypothesized that BB protect against renal dysfunction in MetS by attenuating ER stress. Methods: Male zucker rats - Lean controls (LZR) and Obese (OZR) were both fed with a BB-enriched diet or a control diet for 15 weeks. At the end of the feeding period, the rats were subjected to acute renal clearance experiments to determine the blood pressure and kidney function parameters. Kidney cortex tissues were examined for gene and protein expression of ER stress and kidney injury markers, by RT-PCR and western blotting respectively. Results: are tabulated. Further studies are being carried out to investigate whether blocking ER stress would attenuate the structural and functional kidney damage in MetS animal models. Conclusions: 1) ER stress increased in the kidneys of MetS animals and contribute to renal dysfunction. 2) BB ameliorates the progression of renal diseases in MetS by attenuating ER stress, a novel therapeutic approach.