# Reno-protective mechanisms of EETs in acute and chronic obstructive nephropathy

> **NIH NIH R01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2021 · $431,720

## Abstract

Abstract/Project Summary
Ureteral obstruction is a common cause of acute and chronic kidney disease and may result from a wide variety
of pathologic processes, intrinsic and extrinsic to the urinary system. Congenital obstructive anomalies of the
urinary tract are the most common cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD)
in children. In adults, obstructive uropathy accounts for 10% of the causes of acute renal failure and 4% of the
cases of end stage renal disease. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is the final common pathway that leads to disease
progression and end-stage renal disease. Great strides in our understanding of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis,
particularly as to how inflammation, fibroblast activation, tubular and microvascular injury contribute to
fibrogenesis, have been accomplished in the past decade. However, treating fibrotic diseases has been
challenging because of the complex pathogenesis of the disease. Identification of the primary signals or the
core pathway that is essential to convert an initial stimulus to the development of fibrosis, and their targeting
may be required to limit disease progression. Our published data indicate the novel paradigm that
epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) stimulation can completely prevent fibrosis and inflammation in obstructive
nephropathy models. The overall project goal is to elucidate the mechanisms by which EETs prevent renal
fibrogenesis and determine the translational potential of EET activation or augmenting its signaling pathways.
Based on preliminary data, our central hypothesis is that EETs produced in the kidney after UUO and in the
clinically relevant chronic obstructive nephropathy and release models prevent poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1
(PARP1)-mediated activation of TLR4, NF-κB, TNF-α, interleukin (IL) 1, 2, 6 and 12 and leukocyte adhesion
molecules. Further, our data indicate that EETs regioisomers down-regulate p53 expression. Our novel data
indicate that p53 inhibition promotes fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and prevents intracellular lipid accumulation to
prevent fibrosis after UUO. Defects in FAO and intracellular lipid accumulation are observed in UUO and other
CKD models and has an important role in oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, phenotypes observed in
fibrogenesis and CKD. It should be emphasized that a role for p53 in FAO or lipid accumulation has not been
reported in any tissue or disease state and is paradigm shifting in CKD research. We will determine the
mechanism by which p53 regulates fatty acid oxidation in ureteral obstruction models. Our studies are
innovative as a role for EETs signaling as a primary mechanism instigating renal fibrogenesis has not been
reported. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of fibrogenesis will have wide implications as they may
provide the basis for designing novel therapeutic strategies, to prevent fibrotic diseases not only in the kidney
but also in other organs including the liver and hear...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10309331
- **Project number:** 7R01DK116987-03
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** BABU Joseph PADANILAM
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $431,720
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2018-12-12 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10309331

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10309331, Reno-protective mechanisms of EETs in acute and chronic obstructive nephropathy (7R01DK116987-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10309331. Licensed CC0.

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