Altered sphingomyelinase and ceramide expression in the setting of ischemic and nephrotoxic acute renal failure

Diverse physical and chemical stimuli can activate sphingomyelinases (SMases), resulting in sphingomyelin (SM) hydrolysis with ceramide release. Since ceramide can profoundly impact a host of homeostatic mechanisms, the concept of a "SM (or SMase) signaling pathway" has emerged. We recently documented that ceramide levels fall abruptly during renal ischemia, and then rebound to twice normal values during early reperfusion (30 to 90 min). Therefore, the present study assessed whether these ceramide changes are paralleled, and hence potentially mediated, by comparable changes in SMase activity. Mice were subjected to 45 minutes of renal ischemia +/- 30 minutes, 90 minutes, or 24 hours of reperfusion. Renal cortices (or isolated proximal tubules) were then assayed for SMase activity (acidic, neutral forms). To characterize whether early post-ischemic ceramide increments are a relatively persistent event, ceramide was assayed following a 24-hour reperfusion period. Finally, to assess whether the observed perturbations were unique to post-ischemic injury, SMase and ceramide were quantified in the setting of glycerol-induced myohemoglobinuria and anti-glomerular basement membrane (alpha GBM) antibody-induced acute renal failure (ARF). Ischemia induced abrupt declines (similar to 50%) in both acidic and neutral SMase activities, and these persisted in an unremitting fashion throughout 24 hours of reperfusion. Nevertheless, increased ceramide expression (2x normal) resulted. Myohemoglobinuria also suppressed acidic/neutral SMases, and again, "paradoxical" ceramide increments were observed. Finally, alpha GBM nephritis increased ceramide levels, but in this instance, a correlate was increased SMase activity. These results suggest that: (1) ceramide is an acute renal "stress reactant," increasing in response to diverse renal insults; (2) this response may occur independently of the classic SM pathway, since the ceramide increments can seemingly be dissociated from increased SMase activity; and (3) given the well documented impact of ceramide and the SM(ase) pathway on apoptosis, cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue inflammation, the present results have potentially broad ranging implications for the induction and evolution of diverse forms of ARF.