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Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. Besides glycemic and blood pressure control, environmental factors such as cigarette smoking (CS) adversely affect the progression of DN. The effects of CS on DN progression have been attributed to combustion-generated molecules without consideration to the role of nicotine (NIC), responsible for the addictive properties of both CS and electronic cigarettes (ECs). Podocytes are essential to preserve the structure and function of the glomerular filtration barrier, and strong evidence indicates that early podocyte loss promotes DN progression. We performed experiments in human podocytes and in a mouse model of diabetes that develops nephropathy resembling human DN. We determined that NIC binding to podocytes in concentrations achieved with CS and ECs activated NADPH oxidase, which sets in motion a dysfunctional molecular network integrated by cyclooxygenase 2, known to induce podocyte injury; downregulation of AMP-activated protein kinase, important for maintaining cellular energy stores and antioxidation; and upregulation of CD36, which increased lipid uptake and promoted apoptosis. In diabetic mice, NIC increased proteinuria, a recognized marker of chronic kidney disease progression, accompanied by reduced glomerular podocyte synaptopodin, a crucial stabilizer of the podocyte cytoskeleton, and increased fibronectin expression. This novel study critically implicates NIC itself as a contributor to DN progression in CS and EC users. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, we demonstrate that nicotine increases the production of reactive oxygen species, increases cyclooxygenase-2 expression, and upregulates Cd36 while inducing downregulation of AMP-activated protein kinase. In vivo nicotine increases proteinuria and fibronectin expression in diabetic mice. This study demonstrates that effects of nicotine on podocytes are responsible, at least in part, for the deleterious effects of smoking in the progression of chronic kidney disease, including diabetic nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemilogical studies have established the role of cigarette smoking as a risk factor in the progression of chronic kidney disease, including diabetic nephropathy. We have previously reported that nicotine promotes mesangial cell proliferation and hypertrophy via activation of nonneuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and that nicotine worsens renal injury in a model of acute glomerulonephritis (Jaimes E, Tian RX, RaJj L. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 292: H76-H82, 20 Jaimes EA, Tian RX, Joshi M, Raij L. Am J Nephrol 29: 319-326 2009). These studies were designed to test the hypothesis that nicotine worsens renal injury in db/db mice, a well-established model of diabetic nephropathy, and that reactive oxygen species play an important as mediators of these effects. For these studies, nicotine (100 µg/ml) was administered in the drinking water to control and db/db mice for 10 wk. Blood pressure was measured by the tail-cuff method, and urine was collected for proteinuria. At death, kidneys were collected for histology and molecular biology. The administration of nicotine did not result in significant changes in blood pressure or blood glucose and resulted in cotinine levels similar to those found in the plasma of smokers. In diabetic mice, the administration of nicotine significantly increased urinary protein excretion (1-fold), glomerular hypertrophy, and mesangial area (-20%). These changes were accompanied by significant increases in NADPH oxidase 4 (~30%) and increased nitrotyrosine and Akt expression. In vitro, we determined that nicotine has additive effects to high glucose on reactive oxygen species generation and Akt phosphorylation in human mesangial cells. These findings unveil novel mechanisms that may result in the development of novel strategies in the treatment and prevention of diabetic nephropathy in smokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jaimes EA, Zhou MS, Pearse DD, Puzis L, Raij L. Upregulation of cortical COX-2 in salt-sensitive hypertension: role of angiotensin II and reactive oxygen species. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 294: F385-F392, 2008. First published December 19, 2007; doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00302.2007.—Salt-sensitive (SS) hypertension is a vascular diathesis characterized by reduced cardiovascular and renal nitric oxide bioavailability and local upregulation of ANG II. We have demonstrated that rats infused with ANG II manifest increased cortical cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression and activity via NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the present studies we used Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats to test the hypothesis that hypertensive SS rats have increased cortical COX-2 upregulation, which is mediated by ANG II and ROS. DS rats were placed on either a normal-salt diet (0.5% NaCl) or a high-salt diet (4% NaCI) for 6 wk and treated with either the ANG II type 1 (AT1) receptor blocker candesartan (Can, 10 mg·kg-1·day-1) or the SOD mimetic tempol (1 mmol/l). Hypertensive SS rats had a twofold increase in the cortical expression of COX-2 as assessed by Western blot. These changes in COX-2 expression were accompanied by a 10-fold increase in COX-2 mRNA expression and a 2-fold increase in the urinary excretion of PGE2. Treatment with either the AT1 receptor blocker Can or the SOD mimetic tempol did not reduce blood pressure but resulted in significant reductions in the cortical expression of COX-2 and the urinary excretion of PGE2. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that local activation of the renin-angiotensin system, via increased ROS generation, mediates COX-2 upregulation in hypertensive SS rats. These studies unveil novel mechanistic pathways that may play a role in the pathogenesis of hypertensive renal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]