High Uric Acid-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells via the TLR4/NF-kB Signaling Pathway

Hyperuricemia is an independent risk factor for causing chronic kidney disease and contributes to kidney fibrosis. After urate crystals get deposited in the kidney, they can cause hyperuricemia nephropathy, leading to glomerular hypertrophy and renal tubular interstitial fibrosis. Recent data showed that uric acid (UA) could induce epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular cells, in which NRLP3 inflammatory pathway was involved. However, whether TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway is also involved in EMT of renal tubular cells induced by UA is not clear.