The kidneys have a limited ability to repair themselves after severe injury, which can lead to chronic kidney disease.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have therefore investigated what slows the body's natural healing process.
In a study published in Cell Stem Cell, the researchers found that people with chronic kidney disease had higher levels of the protein ENPP1 in their kidney tissue than healthy individuals.
This prompted the researchers to investigate the protein's role in greater detail, according to SciTechDaily.
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Protein slows healing
Experiments in mice showed that ENPP1 disrupts the cells' energy production, making it more difficult for the kidneys to repair themselves after injury.
Mice that did not produce ENPP1 developed less scar tissue and had better kidney function than mice that produced the protein.
According to the researchers, this suggests that ENPP1 is a key factor in the slow healing process.
A drug offers new hope
The researchers also tested the drug AD NP1, which was originally developed to treat heart damage.
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In the mouse studies, the drug blocked ENPP1, and the treated mice showed improved kidney function and less scar tissue than the untreated mice.
The drug has already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a Phase 1 clinical trial for heart disease.
The researchers now hope to investigate whether it can also be tested as a treatment for kidney disease in humans.
For now, however, the findings are based solely on animal studies, and clinical trials will be required before the treatment can be used in patients.
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