Proteomic identification of mitochondrial targets involved in andrographolide sodium bisulfite-induced nephrotoxicity in a rat model

•Our proteomic analysis provided an approach for elucidating ASB induced renal injury.•We found multiple proteins related to cell apoptotic or autophagy in renal injury.•Findings indicate that ASB exhibits anti-cancer activity through KAD or PRDX-1 pathway.•Findings also explain the mechanism of mitochondrial dysfunction induced by ASB.

Our previous works have indicated that the mitochondrion is the primary target of nephrotoxicity induced by andrographolide sodium bisulfate (ASB), but the mechanisms of ASB-induced nephrotoxicity have remained largely unknown. In this study, proteomic analysis was used to explore the changes in the renal mitochondrial proteome in SD rats after treatment with ASB. SD rats were intraperitoneally administered with ASB (100, 600 mg/kg/d) for 7 days. Renal impairment was evaluated by pathological observation. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), as well as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS), was applied for the identification of mitochondrial protein and was validated by Western blotting. Protein–protein interactions were analyzed using a Web-based bioinformatics tool (STRING, version 9.1). Rat kidneys exhibited histopathological changes after treatment with ASB, and 13 proteins were significantly changed, including ES1 protein homolog, heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein, peroxiredoxin-1 (Prdx1), cytochrome C oxidase subunit 5B (COX5B), prohibitin (PHB), threonine-tRNA ligase, pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 component subunit beta (PDH-β), voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 2 (VDAC2), voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 1 (VDAC1), adenylate kinase 2 (KAD2) and others. These data demonstrated that the expression levels of several proteins significantly changed in the mitochondria, and these proteins could be candidate biomarkers for ASB-induced nephrotoxicity.

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