Normal mesenteric lymph ameliorates acute kidney injury following lipopolysaccharide challenge in mice

Background: The kidney is one of the prior damaged organs subjected to severe infection and sepsis shock. Our previous studies have shown that the normal mesenteric lymph (NML) obtained from healthy dogs could alleviate multiple organ injuries following endotoxic shock. In the current study, we further investigated the beneficial effect of NML from healthy mice on acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. Methods: The mice in LPS and LPS + NML groups received an intraperitoneal injection of LPS (35 mg/kg). One hour later, the treatment of NML was performed and kept for 6 h. Then, the renal function indices, renal morphology, the levels of phosphorylation mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), markers of sensitization to LPS, as well as pro-inflammatory mediators in renal tissue were observed. Results: Intraperitoneal injection of LPS induced an increased level of urea in plasma, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), but no obvious changes in the MAPKs in renal tissue. NML treatment decreased the levels of urea, CD14, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in mice after LPS injection. Conclusion: The current results indicate that NML alleviates LPS-induced AKI through its attenuation of sensitization to LPS.