The protective effect of erythropoietin pretreatment on ischemic acute renal failure in rats

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of erythropoietin (EPO) pretreatment on ischemic acute renal failure in rats and its molecular mechanism. MethodsMale Sprague–Dawley rats were selected as experimental animals and they were randomly divided into the sham operation group (sham group), ischemia-reperfusion injury group (IRI group) and EPO pretreatment group (EPO group). Each group had 15 rats. Serum specimens and renal specimens were collected after a IRI model was built for 4, 12 and 24 h. The contents of creatinine, urea nitrogen tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6 and IL-8 in serum and the contents of TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in the kidney tissue were determined. ResultsAfter 4, 12 and 24 h reperfusion, there were differences between the contents of creatinine, urea nitrogen TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in serum and the contents of TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TLR4 and NF-κB in rats of the three groups (P < 0.05). The contents of creatinine, urea nitrogen TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in serum and the contents of TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TLR4 and NF-κB in the kidney tissue in rats of the IRI group were significantly higher than those of the sham group; and the contents of creatinine, urea nitrogen TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in serum and the contents of TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TLR4 and NF-κB in the kidney tissue in rats of the EPO group were distinctly lower than those of the IRI group. ConclusionsEPO pretreatment can protect the renal function of rats with ischemic acute renal failure by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB pathway mediated inflammatory responses.