Fig. 7

The proposed model illustrates the role and mechanism of UCP1 in renal interstitial fibrosis. The expression of UCP1 in renal tubules is relatively high under normal conditions, and oxidative stress is at a low level. When renal interstitial fibrosis occurs due to various etiologies, the expression of UCP1 decreases, resulting in a reduction in the protein stability of SIRT3 and subsequent degradation, leading to oxidative stress production. Elevating UCP1 expression can inhibit the occurrence of oxidative stress by stabilizing SIRT3, thereby reducing EMT and ECM accumulation, and ultimately alleviating renal interstitial fibrosis