The harmful effect of indoxyl sulfate on neovascularization in chronic kidney disease.

Patients with chronic kidney disease display an impairment of neovascularization in ischemic tissues. Studies have suggested the involvement of the uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate by demonstrating that indoxyl sulfate affects endothelial progenitor cells. However, few data are available on the effects of indoxyl sulfate on neovascularization and on the mechanisms involved. The article by Hung et al. shows that indoxyl sulfate suppresses neovascularization in uremic mice by impairing endothelial progenitor cell function via the inhibition of hypoxia-induced hypoxia-inducible factor/interleukin-10/vascular endothelial growth factor signaling.