Can prevention of disuse atrophy unlock causes of kidney fibrosis?

Moonen et al. evaluated the adverse effects of unilateral ischemia on kidney structure and function and how these effects were modulated by the timing of contralateral nephrectomy. In both rat and mouse, the initial postischemic reduction in kidney function was reversed by removing the contralateral kidney at 3 days, but not longer, after ischemia. Longer-term inflammation, tubular cell polyploidization, and fibrosis were reduced when nephrectomy was performed at 3 days postischemia compared with maladaptive pathologic repair when nephrectomy was delayed. Immune infiltrates were reduced by both early or later nephrectomy. Potential vascular contributions were not evaluated.