Chronic hypoxia in the kidney has been suggested as a final common pathway in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) leading to eventual kidney failure. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) activation might offer a promising approach to the protection of hypoxic tissues, but the effect of HIF activation on CKD is still controversial. In this study, we investigated whether HIF activation had a beneficial or deleterious effect on CKD in the rat remnant kidney (RK) model.

One week after a subtotal nephrectomy, rats were randomized and each received special administration of prolyl hydroxylases (PHD) inhibitor L-mimosine (L-Mim) as follows: in the early long-time L-Mim treatment group they were administered L-Mim at Weeks 2–12; in the advanced medium-term L-Mim treatment group they were administered L-Mim at Weeks 4–12 and in the end-stage L-Mim treatment group they were administered L-Mim at Weeks 8–12.

Compared with the control group, renal dysfunction and increased collagen III deposition, α-smooth muscle actin expression and ED-1-positive macrophage infiltration in tubulointerstitium were exacerbated by early long-term L-Mim treatment and improved by advanced medium-term L-Mim treatment. End-stage L-Mim treatment had no effect on RK rats. Furthermore, early long-term L-Mim treatment activated HIF-1α, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and phospho-Smad3 prominently throughout the time course and activated HIF-2α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and erythropoietin (EPO) slightly at the end stage, while advanced medium-term L-Mim treatment activated HIF-2α, VEGF and EPO significantly and had no effect on HIF-1α, CTGF and phospho-Smad3.

HIF-α activation by PHD inhibitor L-Mim has dual roles in the development of CKD in the rat RK model depending on the timing of the administration and possibly the activated isoform of HIF-α.