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Mechanobiology

Wnt/β-Catenin in Acute Kidney Injury and Progression to Chronic Kidney Disease

AUTHORS

Huffstater TTessa , Merryman WDW David , Gewin LSLeslie S . Seminars in nephrology. 2020 3 4; 40(2). 126-137

ABSTRACT

Acute kidney injury (AKI) portends a poor clinical prognosis and increases the risk for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Currently, there are no therapies to treat AKI or prevent its progression to CKD. Wnt/β-catenin is a critical regulator of kidney development that is up-regulated after injury. Most of the literature support a beneficial role for Wnt/β-catenin in AKI, but suggest that this pathway promotes the progression of tubulointerstitial fibrosis, the hallmark of CKD progression. We review the role of Wnt/β-catenin in renal injury with a focus on its potential as a therapeutic target in AKI and in AKI to CKD transition.