Emerging Insights Into Necroptosis: Implications for Renal Health and Diseases

Necroptosis is a regulated form of cell death that has gained increasing attention in recent years. It plays a significant role in various physiological and pathological processes, including renal health and disease. This review article provides an overview of necroptosis as a regulated cell death pathway and explores its implications in renal physiology and renal diseases. The molecular signaling pathways involved in necroptosis, including the key players such as receptor-interacting protein kinases (RIPKs) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), are discussed in detail. The crosstalk between necroptosis and other cell death pathways, particularly apoptosis, is explored to understand the interplay between these processes in renal cells. In normal physiological conditions, necroptosis has been found to play a crucial role in renal development and tissue homeostasis. However, dysregulated necroptosis can contribute to tissue damage, inflammation, and fibrosis in renal diseases. The review highlights the involvement of necroptosis in acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and renal transplant rejection, elucidating the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and consequences. The therapeutic targeting of necroptosis in renal diseases is an emerging area of interest. Current and emerging strategies to modulate necroptosis, including the inhibition of key mediators and regulators, are discussed here. Additionally, the potential therapeutic targets and inhibitors of necroptosis, along with preclinical and clinical studies exploring their efficacy, are reviewed.