Pannexins in Acute Kidney Injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is highly prevalent among hospitalized patients and is associated with serious consequences with limited pharmacological treatment options. Pannexin 1 (Panx1) channel is a ubiquitously expressed nonselective membrane transport channel that efficiently effluxes ATP and plays a central role in the progression of inflammatory diseases. Animal models that target Panx1 through pharmacological inhibition or genetic deficiency have better outcomes in minimizing inflammation and associated pathology. Given the involvement of Panx1 at multiple steps of -inflammatory pathology, Panx1 could be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of AKI. Further research is needed in elaborating the mechanisms and identifying Panx1-specific inhibitor molecules to better understand the role of Panx1 in AKI pathology arising due to diverse insults.