Recovery of renal function after administration of adipose-tissue-derived stromal vascular fraction in rat model of acute kidney injury induced by ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a major challenge in critical care medicine. The purpose of this study is to determine the therapeutic effects of the adipose-tissue-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and the optimal route for SVF delivery in a rat model of AKI induced by I/R injury. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (10 animals per group): sham, nephrectomy control, I/R injury control, renal arterial SVF infusion and subcapsular SVF injection. To induce AKI by I/R injury, the left renal artery was clamped with a nontraumatic vascular clamp for 40 min, and the right kidney was removed. Rats receiving renal arterial infusion of SVF had a significantly reduced increase in serum creatinine compared with the I/R injury control group at 4 days after I/R injury. The glomerular filtration rate of the renal arterial SVF infusion group was maintained at a level similar to that of the sham and nephrectomy control groups at 14 days after I/R injury. Masson's trichrome staining showed significantly less fibrosis in the renal arterial SVF infusion group compared with that in the I/R injury control group in the outer stripe (P < 0.001). TUNEL labeling showed significantly decreased apoptosis in both the renal arterial SVF infusion and subcapsular SVF injection groups compared with the I/R injury control group in the outer stripe (P < 0.001). Thus, renal function is effectively rescued from AKI induced by I/R injury through the renal arterial administration of SVF in a rat model.