Academic Journal
β-carotene attenuates calcium oxalate crystal-induced renal injury through suppression of NF-κB-mediated inflammation.
| Τίτλος: | β-carotene attenuates calcium oxalate crystal-induced renal injury through suppression of NF-κB-mediated inflammation. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Su M; Department of Pathology, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Guangde Street, Yaohai District, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China. Smq93885@163.com., Guan Y; Department of Pathology, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Guangde Street, Yaohai District, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China., Wei H; Department of Pathology, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Guangde Street, Yaohai District, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China., Chen L; Department of Pathology, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Guangde Street, Yaohai District, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China., Dong W; Department of Pathology, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Guangde Street, Yaohai District, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China. |
| Πηγή: | Urolithiasis [Urolithiasis] 2026 Sep 12; Vol. 54 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Sep 12. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 101602699 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2194-7236 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 21947228 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Urolithiasis Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Berlin : Springer, [2013]- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | beta Carotene*/pharmacology , beta Carotene*/therapeutic use , NF-kappa B*/metabolism , NF-kappa B*/antagonists & inhibitors , Calcium Oxalate*/chemistry , Inflammation*/drug therapy , Nephrocalcinosis*/chemically induced , Nephrocalcinosis*/drug therapy , Nephrocalcinosis*/pathology , Nephrolithiasis*/drug therapy, Signal Transduction/drug effects ; Signal Transduction/immunology ; Kidney Tubules, Proximal/cytology ; Kidney Tubules, Proximal/drug effects ; Kidney/pathology ; Kidney/drug effects ; Animals ; Mice ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Cell Line ; Molecular Docking Simulation |
| Περίληψη: | Calcium oxalate (CaOx) nephrolithiasis represents the most prevalent form of kidney stone disease and is characterized by persistent renal inflammation and tissue damage. β-Carotene, a naturally occurring carotenoid with well-documented anti-inflammatory properties, has demonstrated beneficial effects in a variety of inflammatory conditions; however, its potential role in CaOx crystal-associated renal injury remains largely unexplored. In this study, the effects of β-carotene on CaOx-induced renal damage were evaluated using both cellular and animal models. In human renal proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells, β-carotene effectively alleviated calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM)-induced injury, decreased kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) expression, and reduced the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and MCP-1. Similarly, in a glyoxylate-induced nephrocalcinosis mouse model, β-carotene attenuated CaOx crystal accumulation, improved renal histopathological alterations and functional impairment, and suppressed inflammatory responses. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses were conducted. A total of 145 overlapping targets were identified, and enrichment analyses identified NF-κB signaling as one of the candidate pathways potentially involved in the protective effects of β-carotene. Molecular docking analysis suggested favorable binding affinities between β-carotene and several key targets. Experimental validation demonstrated that β-carotene markedly inhibited NF-κB activation in both in vitro and in vivo settings, whereas pharmacological activation of NF-κB partially abolished its beneficial effects. Taken together, these findings indicate that β-carotene ameliorates CaOx crystal-induced renal injury and inflammation, at least in part through suppression of NF-κB signaling, and may offer a potential basis for the development of novel preventive and therapeutic approaches for kidney stone disease. (© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
| References: | J Urol. 2005 Mar;173(3):848-57. (PMID: 15711292) Int J Urol. 2008 Feb;15(2):115-20. (PMID: 18269444) Cell Mol Life Sci. 2023 Sep 23;80(10):301. (PMID: 37740796) Nat Rev Nephrol. 2021 Jun;17(6):417-433. (PMID: 33514941) Eur J Med Res. 2025 Dec 10;30(1):1224. (PMID: 41372793) Phytomedicine. 2025 Jan;136:156302. (PMID: 39662099) J Nephrol. 2017 Apr;30(2):227-233. (PMID: 26969574) Int Urol Nephrol. 2024 Feb;56(2):423-431. (PMID: 37740155) Theranostics. 2020 Jun 5;10(16):7319-7334. (PMID: 32641994) Int Immunopharmacol. 2022 Jun;107:108677. (PMID: 35255299) Curr Drug Targets. 2025;26(9):591-612. (PMID: 40353475) J Urol. 2013 Mar;189(3):803-11. (PMID: 23022011) Front Pharmacol. 2022 Nov 03;13:1041117. (PMID: 36408256) J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009 Oct;20(10):2253-9. (PMID: 19679672) Arch Biochem Biophys. 2018 Aug 15;652:18-26. (PMID: 29885291) EBioMedicine. 2019 Dec;50:366-378. (PMID: 31735555) Pak J Biol Sci. 2009 Aug 15;12(16):1140-5. (PMID: 19899325) Food Funct. 2024 Dec 9;15(24):12033-12046. (PMID: 39563640) Int J Biol Sci. 2025 Apr 22;21(7):3099-3121. (PMID: 40384863) Int J Urol. 2008 Oct;15(10):924-8. (PMID: 18721209) Rev Urol. 2010 Spring;12(2-3):e86-96. (PMID: 20811557) J Food Sci. 2023 Jan;88(1):491-502. (PMID: 36448622) Chin J Nat Med. 2023 May;21(5):323-332. (PMID: 37245871) J Agric Food Chem. 2025 Jan 15;73(2):1542-1562. (PMID: 39741421) World J Urol. 2017 Sep;35(9):1301-1320. (PMID: 28213860) PLoS One. 2023 Apr 5;18(4):e0283779. (PMID: 37018237) Chem Biol Interact. 2017 Dec 25;278:114-122. (PMID: 29054323) Urolithiasis. 2025 Jul 2;53(1):134. (PMID: 40601009) Adv Sci (Weinh). 2026 Aug;13(43):e75585. (PMID: 42107057) Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2015 Jul;22(4):266-72. (PMID: 26088070) J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017 Mar;28(3):761-768. (PMID: 27612997) Adv Urol. 2018 Feb 4;2018:3068365. (PMID: 29515627) Transl Androl Urol. 2014 Sep;3(3):285-95. (PMID: 26816779) J Urol. 2022 Jan;207(1):144-151. (PMID: 34428923) J Food Sci. 2021 May;86(5):2118-2130. (PMID: 33884622) J Urol. 2010 Sep;184(3):1189-96. (PMID: 20663521) Phytomedicine. 2024 Dec;135:156145. (PMID: 39461201) Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016 Feb 25;2:16008. (PMID: 27188687) Nutr Res. 2014 Nov;34(11):907-29. (PMID: 25134454) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Kidney stones; Network pharmacology NF-κΒ; β-Carotene |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 01YAE03M7J (beta Carotene) 0 (NF-kappa B) 2612HC57YE (Calcium Oxalate) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260912 Date Completed: 20260912 Latest Revision: 20261008 |
| Update Code: | 20261008 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00240-026-02053-7 |
| PMID: | 42730918 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2194-7236 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00240-026-02053-7 |