Purple Sweet Potato Color Attenuates Kidney Damage by Blocking VEGFR2ROSNLRP3 Signaling in High-Fat Diet-Treated Mice

Abstract EN

Our preliminary data showed that VEGFR2 upregulation promoted renal ROS overproduction in high-fat diet- (HFD-) treated mice.

Given that ROS-induced NLRP3 activation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetic kidney injury, we evaluate whether VEGFR2 upregulation induces type 2 diabetic kidney injury via ROS-mediated NLRP3 activation and further explore the underlying mechanism.

Our results showed that VEGFR2 knockdown decreased ROS overproduction, blocked NLRP3-dependent inflammation, and alleviated kidney damage in HFD-treated mice.

Treatment with α-lipoic acid, a scavenger of ROS, lowered ROS overproduction and alleviated NLRP3-triggered kidney injury of HFD-treated mice.

Collectively, the VEGFR2/ROS/NLRP3 signal is a critical therapeutic strategy for the kidney injury of HFD-treated mice.

Purple sweet potato color (PSPC), a natural anthocyanin, can exert renal protection by inhibiting ROS in HFD-treated mice.

Here, we provide a novel mechanism of PSPC against renal damage in HFD-treated mice by downregulating VEGFR2 expression.