Adenovirus-Mediated Over-Expression of Nrf2 Within Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) Protected Rats Against Acute Kidney Injury

Recent developments in the field of cell therapy have led to a renewed interest in treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the early death of transplanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in stressful microenvironment of a recipient tissue is a major problem with this kind of treatment. The objective of this study was to determine whether overexpression of a cytoprotective factor, nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), in MSCs could protect rats against AKI. The Nrf2 was overexpressed in MSCs by recombinant adenoviruses, and the MSCs were implanted to rats suffering from cisplatin-induced AKI. The obtained results showed that transplantation with the engineered MSCs ameliorates cisplatin-induced AKI. Morphologic features of the investigated kidneys showed that transplantation with the MSCs in which Nrf2 had been overexpressed significantly improved the complications of AKI. These findings suggested that the engineered MSCs might be a good candidate to be further evaluated in clinical trials. However, detailed studies must be performed to investigate the possible carcinogenic effect of Nrf2 overexpression.