High glucose induces macrophage inflammatory protein-3α in renal proximal tubule cells via a transforming growth factor-β1 dependent mechanism

Abstract

Background. Hyperglycaemia is a causative factor in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, known to induce chemokines in the kidney. Macrophage inflammatory protein-3α (MIP-3α) is a CC chemokine that has been reported to attract memory T lymphocytes. Our previous microarray study showed significant increased level of MIP-3α in high glucose-induced transcriptional profile in renal proximal tubule cells. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a key regulator in inflammation and fibrosis in diabetes mellitus setting. Methods. This study aimed to determine the role of TGFβ1 in high glucose-induced MIP-3α expression. An in vitro model of human proximal tubular cells (HK-2 cells) and an in v..