Nrf2 protects against furosemide-induced hepatotoxicity

Furosemide is a diuretic drug, but its reactive intermediates lead to acute liver injury in mice. Given the essential role of Nrf2 as a cellular defense regulator, we investigated whether Nrf2 would protect against furosemide-induced liver injury using the Nrf2 “gene-dose response” mouse model (Nrf2-null with Nrf2 knock-out, wild-type with normal expression of Nrf2, Keap1-KD with enhanced Nrf2 activation and Keap1-HKO mice with maximum Nrf2 activation). Twenty-four hours after furosemide administration (250 mg/kg, i.p.), serum ALT activities and histopathological analysis indicated severe hepatotoxicity in Nrf2-null and WT mice, but significantly less in the Nrf2-overexpressing Keap1-KD and Keap1-HKO mice. Furosemide increased the mRNA of genes involved in the acute phase response (hemeoxygenase-1 and metallothionein-1), ER stress (C/Ebp-homologous protein and Growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein), inflammatory cytokine (interleukin 1 beta), chemokines (macrophage inflammatory protein 2 and mouse keratinocyte-derived chemokine), as well as apoptosis (early growth response factor and BCL2-associated X protein) in livers of Nrf2-null and wild-type mice, but these genes increased less in mice with more Nrf2. The two genotypes of over-expressed Nrf2 mice had increased expression of the Nrf2 target genes Gclm, Gclc and Nqo1 prior to furosemide administration, and the expressions of these genes were increased further after furosemide administration. Thus, our findings provide strong evidence that over-expression of Nrf2 in Keap1-KD and Keap1-HKO mice and the increases in mRNA of a number of genes involved in anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, anti-ER stress and anti-apoptosis protect against furosemide-induced hepatotoxicity.