Kinase

Kidney

Programmed cell death

Cell biology

Cisplatin

RPTOR

Biology

Apoptosis

Autophagy

Acute kidney injury

Signal transduction

Cancer research

Biochemistry

ULK1

Insulin

Protein kinase A

Adenosine

AMPK

Internal medicine

Pharmacology

Chemotherapy

Nephrotoxicity

Medicine

Chemistry

AMP-activated protein kinase

PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

Metformin

Frontiers in Physiology

Autophagy is a conserved, multistep pathway that degrades and recycles dysfunctional organelles and macromolecules to maintain cellular homeostasis. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and adenosine-monophosphate activated-protein kinase (AMPK) are major negative and positive regulators of autophagy, respectively. In cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) or nephrotoxicity, autophagy is rapidly induced in renal tubular epithelial cells and acts as a cytoprotective mechanism for cell survival. Both mTOR and AMPK have been implicated in the regulation of autophagy in cisplatin-induced AKI. Targeting mTOR and/or AMPK may offer effective strategies for kidney protection during cisplatin-mediated chemotherapy.

AMPK/mTOR Signaling in Autophagy Regulation During Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury