Anti-fibrotic effects of valproic acid in experimental peritoneal fibrosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Progressive fibrous thickening of the peritoneal membrane is a complication of long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD). TGF-β/Smad pathway activation, inflammation, and neoangiogenesis play important roles in peritoneal membrane (PM) changes induced by PD. Recently, histone deacetilase inhibitors (HDACi) have shown anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects in different experimental models. These drugs prevent deacetylation of histones causing a loosen chromatin, which in turn induce the expression of some anti-fibrotic genes. In addition, acetylation may increase the activity of proteins involved in tissue fibrosis, such as Smad7. Here, we explored the effect of valproic acid (VPA), an HDACi, on the development of peritoneal fibrosis (PF) in rats.

Methods

PF was indu

SUBMITTER: Costalonga EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5584960 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature