Publications -- Keisa Mathis

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12503/31832

This collection is limited to articles published under the terms of a creative commons license or other open access publishing agreement since 2016. It is not intended as a complete list of the author's works.

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Sex and strain differences in renal hemodynamics in mice
(Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 2023-03-23) Tao, Yu; Young-Stubbs, Cassandra M.; Yazdizadeh Shotorbani, Parisa; Su, Dong-Ming; Mathis, Keisa W.; Ma, Rong
The present study was to examine sex and strain differences in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal blood flow (RBF) in C57BL6, 129/Sv, and C57BLKS/J mice, three commonly used mouse strains in renal research. GFR was measured by transdermal measurement of FITC-sinitrin clearance in conscious mice. RBF was measured by a flow probe placed in the renal artery under an anesthetic state. In C57BL6 mice, there were no sex differences in both GFR and RBF. In 129/Sv mice, females had significantly greater GFR than males at age of 24 weeks, but not at 8 weeks. However, males had higher RBF and lower renal vascular resistance (RVR). Similar to 129/Sv, female C57BLKS/J had significantly greater GFR at both 8 and 24 weeks, lower RBF, and higher RVR than males. Across strains, male 129/Sv had lower GFR and higher RBF than male C57BL6, but no significant difference in GFR and greater RBF than male C57BLKS/J. No significant difference in GFR or RBF was observed between C57BL6 and C57BLKS/J mice. Deletion of eNOS in C57BLKS/J mice reduced GFR in both sexes, but decreased RBF in males. Furthermore, there were no sex differences in the severity of renal injury in eNOS(-/-) dbdb mice. Taken together, our study suggests that sex differences in renal hemodynamics in mice are strain and age dependent. eNOS was not involved in the sex differences in GFR, but in RBF. Furthermore, the sexual dimorphism did not impact the severity of renal injury in diabetic nephropathy.
Editorial: Renal injury and the brain
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2023-01-24) Shimoura, Caroline G.; Wallace, Kedra; Mathis, Keisa W.
Cholinergic agonists reduce blood pressure in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus
(Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 2017-04-10) Fairley, Amber S.; Mathis, Keisa W.
Increased inflammation arising from an abnormal immune response can damage healthy tissue and lead to disease progression. An important example of this is the accumulation of inflammatory mediators in the kidney, which can subsequently lead to hypertension and renal injury. The origin of this inflammation may involve neuro-immune interactions. For example, the novel vagus nerve-to-spleen mechanism known as the "cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway" controls inflammation upon stimulation. However, if this pathway is dysfunctional, inflammation becomes less regulated and chronic inflammatory diseases such as hypertension may develop. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with aberrant immune function, increased renal inflammation, and prevalent hypertension. We hypothesized that the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is impaired in SLE and that stimulation of this pathway would protect from the progression of hypertension in SLE mice. Female SLE (NZBWF1) and control (NZW) mice were administered nicotine or vehicle for 7 days (2 mg/kg/day, subcutaneously) in order to stimulate the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway at the level of the splenic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha7-nAChR). Blood pressure was assessed posttreatment. Nicotine-treated SLE mice did not develop hypertension and this lower blood pressure (compared to saline-treated SLE mice) coincided with lower splenic and renal cortical expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. These data provide evidence that the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is impaired in SLE In addition, these data suggest that stimulation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway can protect the kidney by dampening inflammation and therefore prevent the progression of hypertension in the setting of SLE.
Lipopolysaccharide Challenge Reveals Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Dysfunction in Murine Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
(MDPI, 2018-10-04) Pham, Grace S.; Mathis, Keisa W.
Crosstalk between the brain and innate immune system may be dysregulated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease that presents with dysautonomia and aberrant inflammation. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is an endogenous neuro-endocrine-immune pathway that can regulate inflammation following activation of vagal afferents. We hypothesized that chronic inflammatory processes in SLE are in part due to HPA axis dysfunction, at the level of either the afferent vagal-paraventricular nuclei (PVN) interface, the anterior pituitary, and/or at the adrenal glands. To study this, we challenged female control and SLE mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and measured c-Fos expression as an index of neuronal activation, plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) as an index of anterior pituitary function, and plasma corticosterone as an index of adrenal function. We found that c-Fos expression in the PVN, and plasma ACTH and corticosterone were comparable between unchallenged SLE and control mice. PVN c-Fos was increased similarly in control and SLE mice three hours after LPS challenge; however, there were no changes in plasma ACTH amongst any experimental groups post inflammatory challenge. Plasma corticosterone was markedly increased in LPS-challenged SLE mice compared to their vehicle-treated counterparts, but not in controls. Paradoxically, following LPS challenge, brain and spleen TNF-alpha were elevated in LPS-challenged SLE mice despite heightened plasma corticosterone. This suggests that, despite normal c-Fos expression in the PVN and activation of the HPA axis following LPS challenge, this cumulative response may not adequately defend SLE mice against inflammatory stimuli, leading to abnormally heightened innate immune responses and peripheral inflammation.
Should Renal Inflammation Be Targeted While Treating Hypertension?
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-06-13) Chaudhari, Sarika; Pham, Grace S.; Brooks, Calvin D.; Dinh, Viet Q.; Young-Stubbs, Cassandra M.; Shimoura, Caroline G.; Mathis, Keisa W.
Despite extensive research and a plethora of therapeutic options, hypertension continues to be a global burden. Understanding of the pathological roles of known and underexplored cellular and molecular pathways in the development and maintenance of hypertension is critical to advance the field. Immune system overactivation and inflammation in the kidneys are proposed alternative mechanisms of hypertension, and resistant hypertension. Consideration of the pathophysiology of hypertension in chronic inflammatory conditions such as autoimmune diseases, in which patients present with autoimmune-mediated kidney inflammation as well as hypertension, may reveal possible contributors and novel therapeutic targets. In this review, we 1) summarize current therapies used to control blood pressure and their known effects on inflammation; 2) provide evidence on the need to target renal inflammation, specifically, and especially when first-line and combinatory treatment efforts fail; and 3) discuss the efficacy of therapies used to treat autoimmune diseases with a hypertension/renal component. We aim to elucidate the potential of targeting renal inflammation in certain subsets of patients resistant to current therapies.

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