JAK/STAT pathway promotes the progression of diabetic kidney disease via autophagy in podocytes

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the major microvascular complications of diabetes and an important cause of end-stage renal disease. Previous studies have shown that the damage to podocyte autophagy is related to the pathogenesis of DKD, and this damage is closely mediated by the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transductors and the transcription (STAT) signaling pathway. Here, the underlying molecular mechanism of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway regulating podocyte autophagy was investigated. In the present study, compared to controls, DKD mice showed glomerular hypertrophy, increased kidney weight/weight ratio, and increased urinary protein levels, as well as decreased desmin and synaptopodin expression. Meanwhile, levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, reduced glutathione, and malondialdehyde were also increased in the serum of DKD mice. Further, a lower number of autophagosomes, reduced expression of MAP1LC3 (LC3) in glomeruli, and increased expression of JAK/STAT pathway-related proteins, namely JAK1, JAK2, STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, and STAT6, were observed in DKD mice. In the in vitro experiments, we observed impaired autophagy, enhanced apoptosis, and activated JAK/STAT pathway in podocytes under high glucose conditions. Studies using ruxolitinib inhibitors have showed that suppression of the JAK/STAT pathway in podocytes subjected to high glucose could increase autophagic flux and autophagy-related protein expression. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that high glucose inhibits autophagy by activating the JAK/STAT pathway in mice and podocytes, thereby preventing the efficient removal of damaged proteins and organelles from the body to prevent apoptosis, and ultimately aggravating the progression of podocyte injury and DKD.