Ochratoxin A induces human kidney tubular epithelial cell apoptosis through regulating lipid raft/PTEN/AKT signaling pathway

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a fungal toxin that causes serious threat to human health. OTA could lead to the injury of various tissues, especially kidney injury. However, the toxic effects of OTA on human kidney tubular epithelial cell (HK‐2) and the possible mechanism remains poorly understood. This study was to investigate the toxic effects of OTA on HK‐2 and elucidate the molecular mechanism. HK‐2 cells were treated OTA to evaluate the effect of OTA on cell viability and apoptosis. OTA inhibited the growth of HK‐2 in a concentration‐dependent manner. With the concentration increased, OTA significantly lead to the apoptosis of HK‐2. OTA could increase the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Malondialdehyde (MDA). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) activities were decreased by OTA. Furthermore, OTA increased Caspase‐3 and Bax expression and decreased BCL2 expression. Compared to the control group, the expression of PTEN was increased and the expression of PI3K and AKT were decreased in OTA treated groups. In addition, we found OTA could disrupt the formation of lipid raft by attenuating sphingomyelin and cholesterol levels. In conclusion, our results indicated that OTA induces apoptosis in HK‐2 through regulating PTEN/AKT signaling pathway via disrupting lipid raft formation.