Macrophage-derived exosomes mediate glomerular endothelial cell dysfunction in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury

BACKGROUND: Sepsis-associated AKI has been shown to be related to sepsis mortality. Macrophage activation and endothelial cell damage are involved in the progression of sepsis-associated AKI, but the specific mechanisms are still unclear. METHODS: In vitro experiments, exosomes extracted from lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -stimulated macrophages were co-incubated with rat glomerular endothelial cells (RGECs) and then detected the injury markers of RGECs. Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) inhibitor amitriptyline were used to investigate the role of ASM. In vivo experiment, exosomes produced by LPS-stimulated macrophages were injected into mice through tail vein to further explore the role of macrophage-derived exosomes. Moreover, ASM knockout mice were used to verify the mechanism. RESULT: In vitro, the secretion of macrophage exosomes increased upon the stimulation with LPS. Notably, macrophage-derived exosomes can cause glomerular endothelial cell dysfunction. In vivo, macrophage infiltration and exosome secretion in glomeruli of the LPS-induced AKI group increased. The exosomes produced by LPS-stimulated macrophages were injected into mice, which also led to the injury of renal endothelial cells. In addition, in the LPS-induced AKI mouse model, compared with wild-type mice, the secretion of exosomes in glomeruli of ASM gene knockout mice and the injury of endothelial cells were reduced. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that ASM regulates the secretion of macrophage exosomes, leading to endothelial cell injury, which may be a therapeutic target in sepsis-associated AKI. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13578-023-00990-z.