Fucoidan-ferulic acid nanoparticles alleviate cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury by inhibiting the cGAS-STING pathway

Fucoidan (FU) is a natural sulfated polysaccharide with certain biological activity and has been shown to be an excellent nano-delivery material. In this study, ferulic acid (FA)-loaded FU nanoparticles (FA/FU NPs) were prepared and their nephroprotective mechanism was investigated. With a particle size of 158.6 ± 4.5 nm, FA/FU NPs increased the antioxidant activity of FA in vitro, possibly related to the increased dispersity of FA. In vitro results demonstrated that FA/FU NPs significantly protected human renal proximal tubule (HK−2) cells from cisplatin-induced damage, possibly by suppressing cisplatin-induced DNA damage and activating the cGAS-STING pathway. Furthermore, in vivo experiments confirmed that FA/FU NPs protected mice from cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). Mechanistic studies confirmed that FA/FU NPs exerted nephroprotective effects by reducing MDA activity and increasing GSH and SOD activity. Our results demonstrated the potential of FU for delivering poorly soluble drug FA and protecting against cisplatin-induced AKI.