CXCR1/CXCR2 antagonist G31P inhibits nephritis in a mouse model of uric acid nephropathy.

The prevalence of gout is relatively high worldwide, and many gout patients suffer from uric acid nephropathy (UAN) concomitantly. ELR-CXC chemokines such as CXCL8 and CXCL1 have a elevated expression in UAN. In this research, a mouse UAN model was established for a 12 week duration, and uric acid-related crystals were observed. CXCL8(3-72)K11R/G31P (G31P) is a mutant protein of CXCL8/interleukin 8 (IL-8), which has been reported to have therapeutic efficacy in both inflammatory diseases and malignancies for it acts as a selective antagonist towards CXCR1/CXCR2. In this study, G31P-treated mice showed declined production of the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level and urine volume in UAN mice compared with G31P-untreated UAN counterparts. In addition, G31P effectively improved renal fibrosis, and reduced uric acid accumulation and leukocyte infiltration in UAN kidneys. Furthermore, the expressions of CXCL1 and CXCL2 were reduced and the activation of NOD-like receptors protein 3 (NLRP3) was inhibited by G31P treatment. This study has demonstrated that G31P attenuates inflammatory progression in chronic UAN, and plays a renoprotective function.