Novel targets for sepsis-induced kidney injury: The glomerular arterioles and the sympathetic nervous system

Abstract

Sepsis and septic shock are the most common causes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the intensive care unit, and mortality remains high despite improvements in our ability to support vital organs. The lack of development of effective treatments is partly because there has been little advance in our understanding of the pathophysiology of septic AKI, owing to the difficulty in conducting experiments on critically ill patients and use of inappropriate experimental models. Recently, however, a number of new concepts have emerged that challenge existing dogma and give insights into the causes of AKI. Traditionally, renal ischaemia has been proposed as the main cause of AKI, but it is becoming app..