Anti-Fibrotic Effect of Synthetic Noncoding Decoy ODNs for TFEB in an Animal Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

Despite emerging evidence suggesting that autophagy occurs during renal interstitial fibrosis, the role of autophagy activation in fibrosis and the mechanism by which autophagy influences fibrosis remain controversial. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master regulator of autophagy-related gene transcription, lysosomal biogenesis, and autophagosome formation. In this study, we examined the preventive effects of TFEB suppression on renal fibrosis. We injected synthesized TFEB decoy oligonucleotides (ODNs) into the tail veins of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mice to explore the regulation of autophagy in UUO-induced renal fibrosis. The expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and collagen was decreased by TFEB decoy ODN. Additionally, TEFB ODN administration inhibited the expression of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), Beclin1, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). We confirmed that TFEB decoy ODN inhibited fibrosis and autophagy in a UUO mouse model. The TFEB decoy ODNs also showed anti-inflammatory effects. Collectively, these results suggest that TFEB may be involved in the regulation of autophagy and fibrosis and that regulating TFEB activity may be a promising therapeutic strategy against kidney diseases.