Roles of chemokines in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IR) is a common and an important clinical cause of renal disease, such as renal transplantation, renal artery stenosis and following shock from any cause. Inflammatory reaction after IR is regulated by various kinds of mediators. Chemokines are major mediators of the inflammation, and regulate pro-inflammatory cytokine and adhesion molecule expression, and leukocyte infiltration and activation. Chemokines are the key players of inflammation, angiogenesis and fibrosis. These inflammatory processes mediated by chemokines were observed in not only experimental animal models, but also in human renal diseases with ischemic injury. A number of challenges of chemokine targeted therapy is trying to prevent the ischemic injury, and will give some beneficial effect on the injury.