Mouse models and methods for studying human disease, acute kidney injury (AKI)

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is serious complication in hospitalized patients with high level of mortality. There is not much progress made for the past 50 years in reducing the mortality rate despite advances in understanding disease pathology. Using variety of animal models of acute kidney injury, scientist studies the pathogenic mechanism of AKI and to test therapeutic drugs, which may reduce renal injury. Among them, renal pedicle clamping and cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in mice are most prominently used, mainly due to the availability of gene knockouts to study specific gene functions, inexpensive and availability of the inbred strain with less genetic variability. However, ischemic mouse model is highly variable and require excellent surgical skills to reduce variation in the observation. In this chapter, we describe a detailed protocol of the mouse model of bilateral renal ischemia-reperfusion and cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity. We also discuss the protocol for the isolation and analysis of infiltrated inflammatory cell into the kidney by flow cytometry. Information provided in this chapter will help scientist who wants to start research on AKI and want to establish the mouse model for ischemic and toxic kidney injury.