Macrophages and Renal Fibrosis

Renal fibrosis is a key determinant of the progression of renal disease irrespective of the original cause and thus can be regarded as a final common pathway that dictates eventual outcome. The development of renal fibrosis involves many cellular and molecular mediators including leukocytes, myofibroblasts, cytokines, and growth factors, as well as metalloproteinases and their endogenous inhibitors. Study of experimental and human renal disease has shown the involvement of macrophages in renal fibrosis resulting from diverse disease processes. Recent work exploring the nature of both circulating monocytes and tissue macrophages has highlighted their multifaceted phenotype and this impacts their role in renal fibrosis in vivo. In this review we outline the key players in the fibrotic response of the injured kidney and discuss the role of monocytes and macrophages in renal scarring.