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Animal Models

Podocyte injury in extreme obesity

International Journal of Obesity (2024)Cite this article

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We were greatly interested in the article by Jakhotia et al. which was recently published in the International Journal of Obesity [1]. Obesity promotes the onset of chronic kidney disease (CKD) [2]. Consequently, the increase in the global population with obesity is a major cause for alarm. Obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) is an established kidney disease that is diagnosed based on the histopathological features of patients with obesity and overt proteinuria [3]. ORG is characterized by persistent proteinuria, and obesity-induced injury to the glomerular podocytes is considered to be the primary cause of this kidney disease [4].

Jakhotia et al. used genetically induced obesity WNIN/Ob rats and high-fat diet-induced mice with obesity as experimental models of human ORG. WNIN/Ob rats showed massive obesity, overt albuminuria, and kidney histopathological findings similar to those of human ORG, making them an excellent model for the disease. The mismatch between body size and kidney size observed in this model is also of pathological significance to human ORG [5]. Using these models, Jakhotia et al. demonstrated the elevated expression of the Wilms tumor 1 (WT-1) transcription factor in podocytes. This was associated with fibroblast-like transformation and glomerulosclerotic changes, suggesting that the upregulation of WT-1 in podocytes plays a role in the progression of ORG.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Nobuo Tsuboi, Yusuke Okabayashi & Kotaro Haruhara

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  1. Nobuo Tsuboi
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  2. Yusuke Okabayashi
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  3. Kotaro Haruhara
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NT wrote the original manuscript. YO and KH reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nobuo Tsuboi.

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Tsuboi, N., Okabayashi, Y. & Haruhara, K. Podocyte injury in extreme obesity. Int J Obes (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-024-01578-4

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