# The key role and research progress of endothelial cells in renal microcirculation

**Authors:** Weikang Tang, Huixia Liu, Xuan Li, Siyao Deng

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1717495 · Frontiers in Medicine · 2026-02-04

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how endothelial cells affect kidney microcirculation and their role in kidney diseases, aiming to guide future treatments.

## Contribution

A comprehensive review of endothelial cell functions in renal microcirculation and their implications for kidney disease.

## Key findings

- Endothelial cells regulate renal microvessel relaxation and maintain microvascular function.
- Endothelial dysfunction contributes to microcirculation disorders in kidney diseases.
- Changes in endothelial cells are observed in various renal diseases.

## Abstract

Microcirculation disorder is the main reason for the occurrence and development of kidney diseases. Studies have shown that endothelial cells play an important role in renal microcirculation disorders. To clarify the specific function of endothelial cells on renal microcirculation and its effect after damage, and to evaluate the existing research.

The reliable articles included in CNKI, PubMed, Central, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were selected as the research objects. Peer-reviewed articles and reports on endothelial cells and renal microcirculation disorders were retrieved with a literature period of nearly 15 years.

We found that endothelial cells regulate the relaxation of renal microvessels, maintain the balance of microvascular perfusion and function stability, and analyze the effect of endothelial cell dysfunction on renal microcirculation, as well as the changes of endothelial cells in a variety of renal diseases, aiming to provide theoretical basis and new research direction for the prevention and treatment of renal related diseases.

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CASP3 (caspase 3) [NCBI Gene 836] {aka CPP32, CPP32B, SCA-1}, NFKB1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 4790] {aka CVID12, EBP-1, KBF1, NF-kB, NF-kB1, NF-kappa-B1}, ICAM1 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1) [NCBI Gene 3383] {aka BB2, CD54, P3.58}, Mir19b-2 (microRNA 19b-2) [NCBI Gene 387195] {aka Mirn19b, Mirn19b-2, miR-19b, mir-19b-2}, EDN1 (endothelin 1) [NCBI Gene 1906] {aka ARCND3, ET1, HDLCQ7, PPET1, QME}, CD34 (CD34 molecule) [NCBI Gene 947], VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A) [NCBI Gene 7422] {aka L-VEGF, MVCD1, VEGF, VPF}, REN (renin) [NCBI Gene 5972] {aka ADTKD4, HNFJ2, RTD}, KITLG (KIT ligand) [NCBI Gene 4254] {aka DCUA, DFNA69, FPH2, FPHH, KL-1, Kitl}, Agt (angiotensinogen) [NCBI Gene 11606] {aka AngI, AngII, Aogen, Serpina8}, Mir17hg (Mir17 host gene (non-protein coding)) [NCBI Gene 75957] {aka 5033413D16Rik, Mirhg1, mir-17-92}, IL1A (interleukin 1 alpha) [NCBI Gene 3552] {aka IL-1 alpha, IL-1A, IL1, IL1-ALPHA, IL1F1}, CD44 (CD44 molecule (IN blood group)) [NCBI Gene 960] {aka CDW44, CSPG8, ECM-III, ECMR-III, H-CAM, HCELL}, AKT1 (AKT serine/threonine kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 207] {aka AKT, PKB, PKB-ALPHA, PRKBA, RAC, RAC-ALPHA}, ADGRF5 (adhesion G protein-coupled receptor F5) [NCBI Gene 221395] {aka GPR116, KPG_001}, KDR (kinase insert domain receptor) [NCBI Gene 3791] {aka CD309, FLK1, VEGFR, VEGFR2}, OCLN (occludin) [NCBI Gene 100506658] {aka BLCPMG, PPP1R115, PTORCH1}, TNF (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 7124] {aka DIF, IMD127, TNF-alpha, TNFA, TNFSF2, TNLG1F}, AGER (advanced glycosylation end-product specific receptor) [NCBI Gene 177] {aka RAGE, SCARJ1, sRAGE}, PIK3CB (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit beta) [NCBI Gene 5291] {aka P110BETA, PI3K, PI3KBETA, PIK3C1}, SELE (selectin E) [NCBI Gene 6401] {aka CD62E, ELAM, ELAM1, ESEL, LECAM2, selectin-e}, RENBP (renin binding protein) [NCBI Gene 5973] {aka RBP, RNBP}, CDH5 (cadherin 5) [NCBI Gene 1003] {aka 7B4, CD144}, NOS3 (nitric oxide synthase 3) [NCBI Gene 4846] {aka EC-NOS, ECNOS, MYMY8, NOSIII, cNOS, eNOS}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}, Mir18 (microRNA 18) [NCBI Gene 387135] {aka Mirn18, mir-18a, mmu-mir-18, mmu-mir-18a}, VCAM1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule 1) [NCBI Gene 7412] {aka CD106, INCAM-100}, SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) [NCBI Gene 6647] {aka ALS, ALS1, HEL-S-44, IPOA, SOD, STAHP}, SELP (selectin P) [NCBI Gene 6403] {aka CD62, CD62P, GMP140, GRMP, LECAM3, PADGEM}, NFE2L2 (NFE2 like bZIP transcription factor 2) [NCBI Gene 4780] {aka IMDDHH, NRF2, Nrf-2}
- **Diseases:** obesity (MESH:D009765), hypoxic injury (MESH:D002534), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (MESH:D005923), AKI (MESH:D058186), Galactose-deficient immunoglobulin A1 (MESH:C537088), proteinuria (MESH:D011507), IgA nephropathy (MESH:D005922), renal microcirculation (MESH:D006030), metabolic disorders (MESH:D008659), renal related diseases (MESH:D000077733), glomerular ischemia (MESH:D007511), hypoxia (MESH:D000860), Microcirculation disorder (MESH:D009358), damage (MESH:D020263), Hyperglycemia (MESH:D006943), fibrosis (MESH:D005355), platelet aggregation (MESH:D001791), inflammation (MESH:D007249), IgA glomerulonephritis (MESH:D017098), HL (MESH:C538324), hematuria (MESH:D006417), lupus nephritis (MESH:D008181), vessels (MESH:C536223), Endothelial dysfunction (MESH:D014652), ischemic (MESH:D002545), diabetes (MESH:D003920), failure of renal function (MESH:D051437), Chronic kidney disease (MESH:D051436), edema (MESH:D004487), abnormalities in renal microcirculation (MESH:D007674), idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis (MESH:D015433), glucose (MESH:D018149), Diabetic nephropathy (MESH:D003928), sepsis (MESH:D018805), Endothelial (MESH:D005642), Endothelial cell injury (MESH:D055954), thrombosis (MESH:D013927), IRI (MESH:D015427), microvascular (MESH:D017566), glomerulonephritis (MESH:D005921), Renal vascular injury (MESH:D020214), hypertension (MESH:D006973), end-stage renal disease (MESH:D007676), coagulopathy (MESH:D001778), CKD (MESH:D012080), insulin resistance (MESH:D007333), toxicity (MESH:D064420), vascular dysfunction (MESH:D002561), endothelial injury (MESH:D057772)
- **Chemicals:** AGEs (MESH:D017127), Tanshinone IIa (MESH:C021751), blood sugar (MESH:D001786), NO (MESH:D009569), cholesterol (MESH:D002784), cGMP (MESH:D006152), oxygen (MESH:D010100), prostaglandin (MESH:D011453), sialic acid (MESH:D019158), GSH (MESH:D005978), lipid (MESH:D008055), ROS (MESH:D017382), calcium (MESH:D002118), glucose (MESH:D005947), hydroperoxides (MESH:D006861), Astragalus polysaccharides (-), potassium (MESH:D011188), amino acids (MESH:D000596)
- **Species:** Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Astragalus membranaceus (species) [taxon 649199], Salvia miltiorrhiza (Chinese salvia, species) [taxon 226208], Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

114 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12913175/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12913175