Angiopoietin as a Novel Prognostic Marker in Kidney Disease

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Renal injury is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality; however, there are no reliable indicators for determining the likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), CKD progression, or AKI events. Vascular growth factors called angiopoietins have a role in endothelial function, vascular remodeling, tissue stabilization, and inflammation and have been implicated as prognostic and predictive markers in AKI. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Although the exact mechanism of the relationship between kidney injury and angiopoietins is unknown, this review demonstrates that AKI patients have higher angiopoietin-2 levels and that higher angiopoietin-1 to angiopoietin-2 ratio may potentially be linked with a reduced risk of the CKD progression. <b><i>Results:</i></b> This review therefore emphasizes the importance of angiopoietin-2 and proposes that it could be an important predictor of AKI in clinical settings. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> There is a need for further large-scale randomized clinical trials in order to have a better understanding of the significance of angiopoietin-2 and for the determination of its potential clinical implications.