Singaporean researchers have discovered a dietary supplement, LPC-DHA, that may help patients with acute kidney injury recover. Preliminary findings suggest it improves kidney function and reduces damage, with potential for future treatment.
Scientists from Singapore have discovered a possible dietary supplement that may improve recovery after acute kidney injury (AKI). The findings, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, are the result of a long-term research project at Duke-NUS Medical School, which investigated how cells take up a special omega-3 lipid called LPC-DHA.
As a major public health problem, AKI affects approximately 13.3 million people worldwide each year, with a mortality rate of 20% to 50%, depending on the country's economic status and the stage of the disease. Ischemia-reperfusion injury is one of the leading causes of acute kidney injury and occurs when blood supply to the kidneys is restored after a period of restricted blood flow and insufficient oxygen supply due to disease, injury, or surgical intervention. Ischemia-reperfusion injury specifically damages a critical part of the kidney, the S3 proximal tubule, which regulates the absorption levels of water and soluble substances, including salts.
"AKI is a serious health problem, but treatment options are limited," said Dr. Randy Loke, first author of the study and an MD graduate student in the Duke-NUS Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases (CVMD) program. "We sought to understand how these renal tubules repair themselves and found that the activity of Mfsd2a, a protein that transports LPC-DHA into cells, is a key factor in how quickly kidney function recovers after ischemia-reperfusion injury."
In the study, the researchers found that preclinical models with reduced Mfsd2a levels showed delayed recovery, increased damage and inflammation after kidney injury. However, when these models were treated with LPC-DHA, their kidney function improved and damage was reduced. LPC-DHA can also restore the structure of the S3 proximal renal tubules and help them return to normal function.
Professor David Silver, senior author of the study and deputy director of the CVMD program, said: "While more research is needed, the potential of LPC-DHA as a dietary supplement is exciting and will be a boon to future AKI recipients. Our findings demonstrate that LPC-DHA can be a safe and effective treatment that provides lifelong protection for patients, and its potential to help protect the kidneys and aid the recovery of these patients."
In the next phase, the research team plans to continue studying the beneficial functions of LPC in the kidneys and plans to initiate clinical testing of LPC supplements to determine its effectiveness in improving kidney function and recovery in AKI patients.
They also plan to continue research on the protein Mfsd2a to further understand its role in LPC transport and its relationship to diseases affecting other tissues and organs. Previous studies by Professor Silver's research group and collaborators from other institutions have highlighted the importance of the protein's LPC transport activity in diseases of other organs such as the liver, lungs and brain.