AUTHOR=Xu Yaya , Kong Xiangmei , Li Jiru , Cui Tiantian , Wei Yifan , Xu Jiayue , Zhu Yueniu , Zhu Xiaodong 

TITLE=Mild Hypoxia Enhances the Expression of HIF and VEGF and Triggers the Response to Injury in Rat Kidneys

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.690496

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2021.690496

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=target for renal hypoxia therapies.
Methods: Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to normobaric hypoxia and subdivided into three groups, namely group A (21% O2), group B (10% O2), and group C (7% O2). Renal tissue samples were processed and analyzed to determine pathological morphological changes, the expression of HIF, VEGF, inflammation factor and vascular density.
Results: We found that as the duration of hypoxia increased, destructive changes in the kidney tissues became more severe in group C (7% O2). In contrast, the increased duration of hypoxia did not exacerbate kidney damage in group B (10% O2). As the hypoxia was prolonged and the degree of hypoxia increased, the expression of HIF-1α increased gradually. As hypoxia time increased, the expression of VEGF increased gradually, but VEGF expression in group B (10% O2) was the highest. Group C (7% O2) had higher levels of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-alpha. Additionally, the highest vascular density was observed in group B.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that activating the HIF–VEGF signaling pathway to regulate angiogenesis after infliction of hypoxic kidney injury may provide clues for the development of novel CKD treatments.