Background: This study focused on renal arteriosclerosis and aimed to explore the relationship between Klotho and SIRT1 by morphological staining, which will help to provide new ideas for the treatment of renal-aging-related diseases and a theoretical basis for the development of new drugs.
Methods: Kidney tissue samples were collected from patients who underwent nephrectomy. HK-2 cells were cultured. The Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) staining, Masson’s Trichrome staining, Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, Immunofluorescence (ICC) and bioinformatics means were used for this study.
Results: HE staining showed that glomerulosclerosis was atrophic and cast was significantly increased luminal narrowing of renal arterioles in aging group. PAS staining showed that the number of podocytes was reduced, the mesangial matrix expansion and the intimal fibrosis of renal arterioles. Masson’s trichrome staining showed that there was massive collagen proliferation in the tubulointerstitial in aging group, as well as intimal thickening and fibrin deposition in the tubular walls of arterioles. IHC staining showed that the expression of Klotho and SIRT1 protein was downregulated in aging group and the trend of the two was positively correlated (P < 0.01). Klotho and SIRT1 co-localized in HK-2 cells and kidney tissue. The GEPIA database analysis showed a significant positive correlation between Klotho and SIRT1 in multiple human tissues and tumors.
Conclusion: Glomerulosclerosis in aging group is accompanied by low expression of Klotho and SIRT1 in renal tissue, and Klotho is positively correlated with SIRT1. Klotho-SIRT1 pathway may be involved in the occurrence and development of renal-aging-related diseases.
Keywords: renal arteriosclerosis, aging, Klotho, SIRT1