Injúria renal induzida pelo veneno de Bothrops insularis e o papel da molécula KIM-1 como biomarcador precoce

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most important complications of bothropic envenomation, being considered one of the main causes of death in these accidents. Plasma creatinine has been used as a renal injury biomarker for more than 90 years; however, it has low sensitivity and specificity for acute kidney injury. The demand for a test capable of detecting injury stages has stimulated the search for new diagnostic tools. As epithelial tubule cells are the main targets for the toxic effects of venoms, this study evaluated the actions of Bothrops insularis venom toxin (BinsV) on the renal function of mice by evaluating the role of the KIM-1 protein as an early AKI biomarker. The effects of BinsV were also evaluated after incubation with renal cell lines of proximal tubules of monkeys and humans, LLC-MK2 and HK2, respectively; in the absence and presence of phenanthroline and catalase enzymes. Male Swiss mice weighing between 25 and 30 g were inoculated with BinsV intramuscularly (3.5 mg / kg) and observed for 24 hours in the metabolic cage model. The animals’ urine, blood, and kidneys were collected for analysis of the following parameters: urinary and serum levels of creatinine, urinary levels of the KIM-1 protein, histological analysis of the kidneys and oxidoreductive balance evaluation in renal tissue. In the renal tubular cell study, cell viability and cell death profile were evaluated for necrosis/apoptosis using annexin/7-AAD markers, whereas rhodamine was used for evaluation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and dichlorofluorescein (DCF) for the evaluation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. BinsV promoted an increase in plasma creatinine, reduced glomerular filtration rate, and increased urinary levels of the biomarker KIM-1. Histological analysis of renal tissue disclosed mesangial swelling, glomerular degeneration and swelling, hydropic degeneration, tubular swelling, and interstitial edema in the renal cortex of animals treated with BinsV. In the medulla, the following alterations were identified: inflammatory cell infiltration, small congested vessels, hydropic tubular degeneration with Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP) secretion, as well as the presence of inflammatory cells in the interstitium. LLC-MK2 cells that were incubated with BinsV had viability reduction, with partial blocking of this effect in the presence of the catalase enzyme. There was an increase in the number of cells labeled with 7-AAD, an effect not observed in the presence of phenanthroline or catalase; however, phenanthroline promoted an increase in the number of cells with double labeling, whereas catalase caused an increase in the number of non-labeled cells. BinsV induced loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, which did not change when incubated with phenanthroline, whereas this effect was partially reversed in the presence of catalase. A reduction in the viability of HK2 cells was observed in the presence of BinsV, an effect that was partially blocked in the presence of phenanthroline or catalase. There was a reduction in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, an effect exacerbated by phenanthroline and partially blocked by catalase. An increase in ROS production was also observed, an effect that was partially blocked in the presence of phenanthroline or catalase. These data suggest BinsV toxicity on renal tissue and proximal tubular cells.