Precision medicine for acute kidney injury: Baicalein-nanodrug delivery system combat oxidative stress and repair mitochondrial dysfunction

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality globally and serves as an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease. Oxidative stress is the main pathogenic mechanism leading to acute kidney injury (AKI) and subsequent renal failure, which is characterized by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction. Treatment options for AKI remain supportive care, it is urgent to develop more viable therapeutic strategies. In this study, we engineered a nanodrug delivery system aiming to achieve precise treatment of AKI. The nanocarriers (Apt-NS) exhibited excellent serum stability and biocompatibility and were capable of specifically recognizing AKI renal tubular cells. Apt-NS were loaded with baicalein (BAI) to form a nanodrug delivery system (Apt-NS-BAI). In comparison to the BAI, Apt-NS-BAI demonstrated more pronounced effects in improving cell viability, scavenging ROS and anti-apoptosis. Simultaneously, in vivo animal experiments also confirmed that Apt-NS-BAI could recognize the injury site and exert biological functions of anti-apoptosis and alleviating renal damage. Overall, this study successfully constructed a nanodrug delivery system with the ability to target AKI renal tubular cells, enabling accurate and efficient delivery of baicalein to injury site and exerting protective functions against oxidative stress. This research offers novel insights into the precision treatment of AKI and contributes to the acceleration of the application of nanotechnology in kidney diseases.