Critical Role of CXCL16 in Hypertensive Kidney Injury and Fibrosis

Recent evidence indicates that inflammation plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of hypertensive kidney disease. However, the signaling mechanisms underlying the induction of inflammation are poorly understood. We found that chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 16 (CXCL16) was induced in renal tubular epithelial cells in response to angiotensin II in a nuclear factor-B-dependent manner. To determine whether CXCL16 plays a role in angiotensin II-induced renal inflammation and fibrosis, wild-type and CXCL16 knockout mice were infused with angiotensin II at 1500 ng/kg per minute for up to 4 weeks. Wild-type and CXCL16 knockout mice had comparable blood pressure at baseline. Angiotensin II treatment led to an increase in blood pressure that was similar between wild-type and CXCL16 knockout mice. CXCL16 knockout mice were protected from angiotensin II-induced renal dysfunction, proteinuria, and fibrosis. CXCL16 deficiency suppressed bone marrow-derived fibroblast accumulation and myofibroblast formation in the kidneys of angiotensin II-treated mice, which was associated with less expression of extracellular matrix proteins. Furthermore, CXCL16 deficiency inhibited infiltration of F4/80(+) macrophages and CD3(+) T cells in the kidneys of angiotensin II-treated mice compared with wild-type mice. Finally, CXCL16 deficiency reduced angiotensin II-induced proinflammatory cytokine expressions in the kidneys. Taken together, our results indicate that CXCL16 plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of angiotensin II-induced renal injury and fibrosis through regulation of macrophage and T cell infiltration and bone marrow-derived fibroblast accumulation.