T helper 17 cells in the pathophysiology of acute and chronic kidney disease

• DOI: 10.23876/j.krcp.20.185
• Publication Date: 2021-03-23T02:22:27Z
• Authors: David P. Basile; Md Mahbub Ullah; Jason A. Collet; Purvi Mehrotra
• Keywords: Inflammation; 0303 health sciences; hypertension; fibrosis; Specialties of internal medicine; Review Article; Fibrosis; RC31-1245; Acute kidney injury; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; acute kidney injury; RC581-951; inflammation; Hypertension; Internal medicine

Both acute and chronic kidney disease have a strong underlying inflammatory component. This review focuses primarily on T helper 17 (Th17) cells as mediators of inflammation and their potential to modulate acute and chronic kidney disease. We provide updated information on factors and signaling pathways that promote Th17 cell differentiation with specific reference to kidney disease. We highlight numerous clinical studies that have investigated Th17 cells in the setting of human kidney disease and provide updated summaries from various experimental animal models of kidney disease indicating an important role for Th17 cells in renal fibrosis and hypertension. We focus on the pleiotropic effects of Th17 cells in different renal cell types as potentially relevant to the pathogenesis of kidney disease. Finally, we highlight studies that present contrasting roles for Th17 cells in kidney disease progression.