Vitamin D suppresses macrophage infiltration by down-regulation of TREM-1 in diabetic nephropathy rats

Abstract This study intends to investigate the effect of active vitamin D (VD) on the expression of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) in the renal tissues of diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats and to explore the impact of TREM-1 on macrophage adhesion and migration. We find that the expressions of TREM-1 and CD68 protein are higher in DN rats compared with rats in the normal control group and that these changes are decreased in the DN + VD group. In vitro, the capacity for macrophage adhesion and migration and the expression of TREM-1 are increased under high-glucose conditions, but VD inhibits this progress. TREM-1 siRNA decreases high-glucose-induced macrophage adhesion and migration, whereas over-expression of TREM-1 inhibits its action. However, VD cannot suppress high glucose-induced TREM-1 expression and macrophage adhesion and migration when TREM-1 is over-expressed. These results demonstrate that VD can suppress macrophage adhesion and migration by reducing the expression of TREM-1.