Renal Tubular Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Expression Is Increased in Early Sepsis but Reduced in Chronic Kidney Disease and Sepsis-Induced Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in patients with sepsis and causes renal ischemia. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) protects the vascular system and the kidney, and GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) is expressed in the kidney. Renal GLP-1R activity is decreased in chronic kidney disease (CKD), but is increased by the inflammatory response; however, the effect of AKI on GLP-1R expression is unknown. We investigated the role of GLP-1 by assessing GLP-1R expression in the renal cortex in animals with AKI-related sepsis, CKD, and CKD-with-sepsis. We generated a model of CKD by 5/6 nephrectomy, and sepsis induced by cecal perforation, in male Sprague–Dawley rats. We compared renal GLP-1R expression at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 72 h after cecal perforation, and in CKD and CKD-with-sepsis. We performed blood and urine tests, western blotting (WB), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to assay GLP-1R expression in renal tubules. The CKD-with-sepsis group showed the lowest kidney function, urine volume, and serum glucose and albumin levels. GLP-1R expression in renal tubules was decreased at 3 h, increased at 24 h, and decreased at 72 h after sepsis induction. GLP-1R expression was decreased at 8 weeks after CKD and was lowest in the CKD-with-sepsis group. The WB results were verified against those obtained by IHC. GLP-1R expression in renal tubules is increased in early sepsis, which may explain the protective effect of endogenous GLP-1 against sepsis-related inflammation.