Study on the anti–inflammatory effect of 3–(4–hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid in an in vitro LPS–stimulated acute kidney inflammation model

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome defined by a rapid decrease in glomerular filtration that can be caused by sepsis, ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), or nephrotoxic drugs. Human microbiota makes significant contributions to human health by enzymatic transformation of such active substances and the release of molecules such as 3–4 hydroxyphenyl propionic acid (4–HPPA). Biological effects of 4–HPPA such as anti–inflammatory and antioxidant have been reported in many studies. The aim of the research is to reveal the anti–inflammatory activity of 4–HPPA, one of the microbiota products of flavonoids (especially naringin) found in many fruits, in an in vitro LPS (lipopolysaccharide) stimulated kidney inflammation model. HEK 293 kidney cells of human origin were used as material in the research. The trial consisted of 4 groups: control group, LPS group, 4–HPPA group and 4–HPPA+LPS group. LPS and 4–HPPA were applied to the cells at different concentrations for 24 hours. Effective concentrations of LPS and 4–HPPA were investigated by MTT viability test. Finally, IL–1β, TNF–α and NFkβ gene expression analyzes responsible for inflammatory responses were investigated by qRT–PCR method. According to the findings, after 24 hours of incubation, LPS at 2.5 ng·mL-1 and 4–HPPA at 6.25 μg·mL-1 were determined to be effective concentrations for the experiment. Again, it was observed that 4–HPPA downregulated LPS–induced IL–1β, TNF–α and NFkβ gene expressions by 7, 42 and 40%, respectively. According to the data obtained from the research, it was revealed that 4–HPPA had effective anti–inflammatory properties in the in vitro LPS–stimulated kidney inflammation model. However, it was concluded that in vivo and more advanced molecular methods are needed to fully elucidate the issue.