Using Aspirin to Mitigate Renal Toxicity of Lithium for Bipolar Disorder Using HEK293 Cells

Overview

Lithium treatment, the first-line medication for bipolar disorder (BD) mania, is known to cause chronic kidney disease, reported in at least 20% of BD patients. To manage BD mania, physicians prescribe twice daily lithium carbonate (Li 2CO3) pills, giving patients a blood serum level ranging from 0.4 -1.2 mM, depending on the severity of their symptoms. Furthermore, the effects of lithium on a cellular level is largely unknown, and a satisfactory understanding of lithium -induced nephrotoxicit y may lower the r isk for patients with bipolar disorder. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of Li2CO3 at low therapeutic (0.6 mM) and high therapeutic (1.0 mM) doses on human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. Through an XTT assay, it was found that Li 2CO3 causes a greater decrease in cell viability as the dose increases (p<0.001). The Lysotracker Green DND-26 assay showed Li2CO3 to cause lysosomal damage (p<0.001). Using the Wound assay, it was found that Li 2CO3 inhibits cell migration (p<0.001). To mitiga te these effects, aspirin in combination with Li 2CO3 was tested because aspirin has been associated with a slower progression rate of kidney disease for regular users. It was found that 200 -360 mg of aspirin increased cell viability, eliminated lysosomal damage, and stimulated cell migration (p<0.001). When tested alone, aspirin was shown to have no adverse effect on the HEK293 cells. Experimental results suggest that aspirin supplementation for bipolar disorder patients who take lithium treatment may reduc e nephrogenic toxicity in patients.

Competition history

• JSHS 2024 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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