Abstract
Cisplatin is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of a wide array of cancers. Due to its active transport into the kidney proximal tubule cells, cisplatin treatment can cause a buildup of this nephrotoxic compound in the kidney, resulting in acute kidney injury (AKI). About 30% of patients receiving cisplatin chemotherapy develop cisplatin-induced AKI. JP4-039 is a mitochondria-targeted reactive oxygen species (ROS) and electron scavenger. Recent studies have shown that JP4-039 mitigates a variety of genotoxic insults in preclinical studies in rodents by suppressing oxidative stress-mediated tissue damage and blocking apoptosis and ferroptosis. However, the benefits of JP4-039 treatment have not been tested in the setting of AKI. In this study, we investigated the potential renoprotective effect of JP4-039 on cisplatin-induced AKI. To address this goal, we treated mice with JP4-039 before or after cisplatin administration and analyzed them for functional and molecular changes in the kidney. JP4-039 co-administration attenuated cisplatin-induced renal dysfunction and histopathological changes. Upregulation of tubular injury markers was also suppressed by JP4-039. Mechanistically, JP4-039 suppressed lipid peroxidation, prevented tissue oxidative stress, and preserved the glutathione levels in cisplatin-injected mice. An increase in cisplatin-induced apoptosis and ferroptosis was also alleviated by the compound. Moreover, JP4-039 inhibited cytokine overproduction in cisplatin-injected mice. Together, our findings demonstrate that JP4-039 is a promising therapeutic agent against cisplatin-induced kidney injury.