In the latest research report published in the international journal Nature, scientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and other institutions have discovered through research that a new approach can enhance the repair function of damaged kidneys. Related findings can be used to help researchers develop new drugs to prevent or reverse the progression of serious human kidney disease, as well as to develop treatments for diseases such as the heart and liver.
The kidneys can filter out the waste and excess water in the human blood, and excrete dangerous molecules through urine. When the kidney is damaged or loses its function, waste products accumulate and cause symptoms of various diseases in the patient's body. The new approach discovered by the researchers includes reprogramming the body's own metabolic pathways to restore damaged kidney function. Under normal circumstances, a process called glycolysis converts the glucose in food into energy to maintain the normal state of the human body. It works, but the researchers in this study found that when tissues are damaged, the body turns this process into a process of repairing damaged cells.
Currently, researchers do not know how the human body switches between the two processes of energy production and human damage repair. In addition, the body rarely maximizes the chance of repairing damage. This is usually good for the energy of the body. produce. In this study, the researchers found a way to enhance this transformation process, which led to a series of cascades of tissue repair molecules that help prevent the progression of kidney disease in mice. Researcher Stammler said that when the kidneys are damaged, the body slows down the energy consumption of sugar, but uses sugar to repair the damage. By transforming glucose from an energy-generating model to a method of cell protection and repair, researchers can control and amplify the process of repairing tissue damage, while improving and promoting self-repair in injured animals. You can extend life. This method can be used as a blueprint to help researchers develop resistance to tissue damage in the future. A new treatment method.
Under normal circumstances, when cells break down fat, carbohydrates and protein into glucose, these three substances are converted into intermediate products, which enter the mitochondria and provide energy for the human body. In this study, the process of damaged tissue seems to be different. Take the kidney as an example. When the kidney is damaged, the body starts "Plan B". It says that glucose is converted into new molecules that can perform cell repair functions. In addition, the researchers discovered that a protein called PKM2 can be used to provide cell energy and repair damaged tissues when controlling glucose. Inactivating PKM2 can significantly improve cell repair functions and reduce energy production processes accordingly. If damage or illness occurs, the body will try to inactivate PKM2 and convert glucose into damage repair mode. In this study, the researchers amplified this inhibitory effect, and the results showed that this inhibitory process can significantly help mice resist kidney damage. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important molecule in this process. As we all know, NO can protect the kidneys and other tissues from damage. Since NO is the active ingredient in nitroglycerin used to treat heart disease, some researchers speculate that NO can play a role by dilating blood vessels; in this study, the study has found that NO is adsorbed on coenzyme A, which is involved in sugar Glycolysis and energy production, and coenzyme A can be combined with NO and transported with many different proteins, including molecules such as PKM2. You can decide how kidney cells use energy and repair damage.
In addition, the researchers pointed out that adding NO to PKM2 can also activate tissue damage and repair. Researcher Stamler discovered that a protein called AKR1A1 can remove NO from PKM2, thereby reactivating the powerful energy production process. Once the healing process of the damaged tissue is completed, this reversal process can promote the conversion of glucose, that is, the conversion of energy, which also explains why people regain vitality after recovering from injury or disease. After AKR1A1 survives, the kidney is in a repaired state and is highly protected from diseases.
Currently, there are about 30 million adults in the United States suffering from kidney disease (about 15% of adults). Causes of kidney disease include diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, chemotherapy and dyes used in heart catheterization surgery. Therefore, the current goal of researchers is to develop new drugs for PKM2 or AKR1A1. This can help researchers develop new therapies that can effectively improve tens of millions of patients with kidney disease.