Objective To explore the effect of sodium dimercaptopropanesulfonate (DMPS) on gene expression of kidney in HgCl2 treated rats by gene chips technology, and to provide theoretical basis for the molecular machinery of inorganic mercuryinduced kidney injury and treatment.
Methods Thirty SD male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (10 each group). An animal model of kidney injury was established by subcutaneous HgCl2 injection into the positive control group and the treatment group, and the negative control group was given 0.9% NaCl. Then the treatment group were intramuscularly injected with DMPS, the negative and the positive control groups were injected with 0.9% NaCl. After treatment, differentially expressed genes were identified by gene chips and validated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Results A total of 385 genes were identified differentially expressed between the negative and the positive control groups; 183 between the negative control group and the treatment group; and 223 between the positive control group and the treatment group. Among the 23 genes expressed differentially involved in DMPS treatment, the functions included xenobiotic metabolism, oxidative stress response, inflammatory response, ion transport, signal transduction, transcription regulation, cell proliferation and apoptosis, collagen fibril organization and cartilage development, neurotransmitter metabolism, and lipid, glucose and amino acid metabolism, etc. Selected results were confirmed by RT-PCR.
Conclusion DMPS can recover the differentially expressed genes of kidney induced by HgCl2, and these genes may possibly play an important role in kidney injury by mercury exposure and in subsequent DMPS treatment.
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