Redox Nanomedicine Cures Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) by Mitochondrial Reconditioning

Targeting reactive oxygen species (ROS) while maintaining cellular redox signaling is crucial in the development of redox medicine for the therapeutic benefit as the origin of several prevailing diseases including chronic kidney disease (CKD) is linked to ROS imbalance and associated mitochondrial dysfunction. Here, we have shown that an indigenously developed nanomedicine comprising of Mn3O4 nanoparticles duly functionalized by biocompatible ligand citrate (C-Mn3O4 NPs) can maintain cellular redox balance in an animal model. We developed a cisplatin-induced CKD model in C57BL/6j mice where severe mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in oxidative distress lead to the pathogenesis. Four weeks of treatment with C-Mn3O4 NPs restored renal function, preserved normal kidney architecture, ameliorated overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and arrested glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis in CKD mice. A detailed study involving human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) cells and isolated mitochondria from experimental animals revealed that the molecular mechanism behind the pharmacological action of the nanomedicine involves protection of structural and functional integrity of mitochondria from oxidative damage, the subsequent reduction in intracellular ROS, and maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis. To the best of our knowledge, such studies that efficiently treated a multifaceted disease like CKD using a biocompatible redox nanomedicine are sparse in the literature. Successful clinical translation of this nanomedicine may open a new avenue in redox-mediated therapeutics of several other diseases (e.g., diabetic nephropathy, neurodegeneration, and cardiovascular disease) where oxidative distress plays a central role in pathogenesis.