FoxM1 inhibition ameliorates renal interstitial fibrosis by decreasing extracellular matrix and epithelial-mesenchymal transition

• Main Authors: Yanhui Wang (Author), Qiaoling Zhou (Author), Rong Tang (Author), Yuyu Huang (Author), Ting He (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Elsevier, 2020-08-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1347-8613; 10.1016/j.jphs.2020.05.007
• Keywords: FoxM1; Renal interstitial fibrosis; Extracellular matrix; Therapeutics. Pharmacology; RM1-950
• Source: Journal of Pharmacological Sciences, Vol 143, Iss 4, Pp 281-289 (2020)

FoxM1 is a transcriptional regulator involved in tumor development, pulmonary fibrosis, and cardiac fibrosis. However, its role in renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) has yet to be elucidated. We established a TGF-β1-stimulated human proximal tubular epithelial cell (HK-2) model in vitro and a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced rat RIF model in vivo. FoxM1 inhibition was achieved by siRNA interference in vitro and by injecting thiostrepton into UUO-induced RIF rats in vivo. The degree of renal damage and fibrosis were determined by histological assessment via hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Immunohistochemistry, western blots, and qPCR were used to determine the expression levels of FoxM1, Collagen I, E-cadherin, α-SMA, and Snail1. Our results showed that FoxM1 inhibition could ameliorate RIF and reduce the deposition of Collagen I. H&E staining revealed that renal structural damage, inflammatory cell infiltration, and ECM deposition were significantly attenuated by thiostrepton treatment in the UUO rats. Furthermore, FoxM1 downregulation significantly suppressed epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, as evidenced by decreased protein and mRNA expression levels of α-SMA and Snail1 and a significant increase in protein and mRNA expression levels of E-cadherin. Collectively, these results suggested that FoxM1 inhibition could be a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of RIF.