Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a major reason for acute kidney injury and various kidney diseases. Autophagy plays an important role during renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI), but it remains controversial whether autophagy contributes to cell survival or ischemia-reperfusion-induced cell death. In the review, we summarized the function of autophagy in the progression of acute ischemic kidney injury, as well as its related molecular mechanisms. While analyzing the opposite roles of autophagy in RIRI, it was concluded that the protective or detrimental function of autophagy was depending on the timing and amount of the activation of cell autophagy. We also summarized the regulatory agents, including active compounds, proteins, or microRNAs (miRNAs), which regulated the cell autophagy during renal acute ischemic kidney injury process. This explained why the opposite conclusion occurred when cell autophagy was studied in the RIRI models from different researchers. Therefore, the article provided a hypothesis to control cell autophagy at the appropriate timing and intensity so as to alleviate renal injury and sustain cell survival of the renal cell.
Keywords: IRI; autophagy; kidney; regulation.