Molecular biology of inflammation: Chemokines/chemokine receptors in renal diseases

The interaction between infiltrated leukocytes and resident renal cells may provide the key to the progression of renal diseases from acute to chronic phase, resulting in dysfunction with sclerosis/fibrosis. Chemokine/chemokine receptor system is considered to be essentially involved in the pathogenesis of phase-specific renal disorders, and the measurement of urinary levels of chemokines is clinically useful for monitoring the different disease phases and activities. Chemokine receptors expressed in renal resident cells may be involved in proliferation, proteinuria and fibrogenesis as well as chemotaxis. The selective intervention of chemokine/chemokine receptor systems (anti-chemokine therapy) might have the potential as the therapeutic target for renal diseases.