Augmenting Autophagy to Treat Acute Kidney Injury during Endotoxemia in Mice

OBJECTIVE To determine that 1) an age-dependent loss of inducible autophagy underlies the failure to recover from AKI in older, adult animals during endotoxemia, and 2) pharmacologic induction of autophagy, even after established endotoxemia, is of therapeutic utility in facilitating renal recovery in aged mice. DESIGN Murine model of endotoxemia and cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) induced acute kidney injury (AKI). SETTING Academic research laboratory. SUBJECTS C57Bl/6 mice of 8 (young) and 45 (adult) weeks of age. INTERVENTION Lipopolysaccharide (1.5 mg/kg), Temsirolimus (5 mg/kg), AICAR (100 mg/kg). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Herein we report that diminished autophagy underlies the failure to recover renal function in older adult mice utilizing a murine model of LPS-induced AKI. The administration of the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus, even after established endotoxemia, induced autophagy and protected against the development of AKI. CONCLUSIONS These novel results demonstrate a role for autophagy in the context of LPS-induced AKI and support further investigation into like interventions that have potential to alter the natural history of disease.