Renal Vascular Smooth Muscle NaV Channels: Regulation and Contribution to Hypoperfusion in Neonatal Ischemic Acute Kidney Injury

NIH RePORTER · DK · R01 · $588,892 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels are essential membrane proteins that mediate sodium ion (Na⁺) influx in response to membrane depolarization. This rapid Na⁺ entry is critical for generating and propagating action potentials in excitable cells, including neurons, skeletal muscle, and cardiac muscle. The nine functionally characterized NaV isoforms (NaV1.1–NaV1.9), encoded by SCN genes, exhibit distinct tissue distributions and physiological functions. Mutations in NaV channels contribute to a range of neonatal and adult diseases, highlighting their role in pathological processes. While their contributions to neuronal and cardiac excitability are well established, NaV channels are also expressed in the vasculature, where their pathophysiological significance remains unclear. Although NaV channels have been identified in mesenteric, pulmonary, coronary, and femoral arteries, their regulation and function in the renal preglomerular microvasculature remain unexplored. Our preliminary findings suggest that NaV1.5 contributes to the regulation of intrarenal arterial tone in the neonatal kidney, revealing a previously underappreciated role for this channel in neonatal vascular physiology. In neonatal pig renal vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), NaV1.5 channels are spatially localized in close proximity to the Na⁺-Ca²⁺ exchanger (NCX). Activation of NaV channels promotes Ca²⁺ influx and vasoconstriction through reverse-mode NCX activity and L-type Ca²⁺ channels (LTCCs). Additionally, hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) stimulates contraction of the neonatal pig renal artery through the NaV-NCX-LTCC axis. Our pilot studies further suggest that nitric oxide (NO) regulates NaV1.5 expression in neonatal renal VSMCs via the forkhead box protein O1 signaling pathway, a mechanism that may drive alterations in endothelial-to-VSMC signal transduction and contribute to renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced hypoperfusion—a key factor in the development of acute kidney injury (AKI). Thi

Key facts

NIH application ID
11311445
Project number
1R01DK146365-01
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
Principal Investigator
Adebowale Adebiyi
Activity code
R01
Funding institute
DK
Fiscal year
2026
Award amount
$588,892
Award type
1
Project period
2026-02-05T00:00:00 → 2029-11-30T00:00:00