HMGB1-mediated formation of IL-33-abundant NETs drives lung-to-kidney injury in severe pneumonia-associated acute kidney injury.

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and fatal complication of severe pneumonia, yet the mechanisms linking pulmonary inflammation to remote kidney injury remain poorly understood. Multicenter cohort data (n = 300) revealed that the incidence of severe pneumonia-associated AKI (SP-AKI) was 53.6%, with a mortality rate of 24.2%. SP-AKI was associated with elevated circulating levels of HMGB1, NETs, and IL-33. Murine experiments demonstrated that alveolar HMGB1 triggers the formation of IL-33-enriched NETs, which migrate to the kidney and activate tubular ST2/NF-κB signaling, driving inflammation and apoptosis. Genetic knockout of IL-33, ST2, or the NET-forming key enzyme PAD4, as well as pharmacological inhibition of HMGB1, IL-33, or NETs, all attenuated lung and kidney injury. Exogenous HMGB1 amplified NET-mediated IL-33 release, establishing a self-sustaining HMGB1/NET/IL-33 feed-forward loop. PAD4 deficiency completely blocked NET generation and disrupted HMGB1/IL-33 signaling. This study identified and validated a damage-associated molecular pattern-driven (DAMP-driven) HMGB1/NET/IL-33 signaling axis that mediates remote kidney injury in SP-AKI, redefining NETs from local effectors to cross-organ pathogenic carriers, thereby providing potential DAMP-targeted therapeutic avenues for SP-AKI.