Oral adsorbent AST-120 ameliorates endothelial dysfunction independent of renal function in rats with subtotal nephrectomy

It is important to consider a strategy to halt the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Oral adsorbent AST-120 retards deterioration in renal function, reducing indoxyl sulfate (IS) accumulation. The aim of this study was to determine whether AST-120 improves endothelial dysfunction by reducing oxidative/nitrative stress in a rat-CKD model. Subtotally nephrectomized (Nx) rats aged 17 weeks were divided into two groups: control rats and rats orally treated with AST-120. Two weeks after initiation of AST-120, serum and urinary IS levels, renal histological scores and endothelium-dependent vascular responses (EDVRs) in the aorta were investigated. EDVR in 5-h incubation with 250 mu g ml(-1) IS was also examined in normal rat aortas. Nitrotyrosine content, mRNA expression of p47phox, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase component, and expression and phosphorylation (serine-1177) of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the aorta were examined in untreated and treated Nx rats. At the end of treatment, renal function and histological scores were not different in the two groups. AST-120 prevented the elevation of serum IS level in Nx rats, reducing urinary IS excretion, and ameliorated decreased EDVR in Nx rats. Incubation with IS tended to reduce EDVR in normal aortas, albeit insignificantly. AST-120 also suppressed nitrotyrosine accumulation and inhibited p47phox expression in Nx rats. The eNOS expression and phosphorylation were similar in the two groups. In conclusion, AST-120 ameliorated endothelial dysfunction and alleviated oxidative/nitrative stress in the aorta through reduced accumulation of IS, independent of renal function, in a rat CKD model.