Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41838831›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of nephrology2026

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1α Drives Cellular Senescence via Autophagy Activation to Promote Acute Kidney Injury-to-CKD Transition.

Manzhu Zhang, Lingxu Li, Xinyue Mao, Xiaoying Yun, Meiting Wu, Chang Wang, Bing Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of nephrology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Manzhu ZhangDepartment of Nephrology, Institute of Nephrology, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.
Lingxu LiDepartment of Nephrology, Institute of Nephrology, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.
Xinyue MaoDepartment of Nephrology, Institute of Nephrology, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.
Xiaoying YunDepartment of Nephrology, Institute of Nephrology, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.
Meiting WuDepartment of Nephrology, Institute of Nephrology, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.
Chang WangDepartment of Nephrology, Institute of Nephrology, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.
Bing LiDepartment of Nephrology, Institute of Nephrology, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China, binglijpn@hotmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIschemia and hypoxia are central drivers of acute kidney injury (AKI), and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a key regulator of cellular oxygen homeostasis. Our previous study showed that HIF-1α is protective during the early stage of AKI; however, its role in the transition from AKI to chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear. Cellular senescence has been implicated in CKD progression and can be accelerated by hypoxia. Nevertheless, whether HIF-1α signaling mediates cellular senescence and promotes the AKI-to-CKD transition is poorly understood.

methodsIschemia-reperfusion injury models of AKI with adaptive repair (AR) or maladaptive repair (MAR) were used to examine the dynamics of HIF-1α, cellular senescence, and autophagy. In human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2), a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury model was used to evaluate the relationships among HIF-1α, autophagy, and senescence. Finally, the association between HIF-1α levels and cellular senescence was assessed in renal biopsies from CKD patients.

resultsThe AR group exhibited rapid and sufficient HIF-1α expression, accompanied by acute senescence, with HIF-1α levels returning to baseline upon the completion of repair. In contrast, the MAR group showed delayed and sustained HIF-1α activation, driving chronic senescence and progressive fibrosis. The activation of autophagy was closely associated with the expression of HIF-1α in the AR and MAR groups. In vitro, silencing HIF-1α expression attenuated autophagy activity, senescence, and fibrosis in HK-2 cells under H/R. However, HIF-1α overexpression had the opposite effect. The autophagy activator rapamycin reversed the inhibitory effects of HIF-1α knockdown, whereas the autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin A1 diminished the pro-senescent and pro-fibrotic effects of HIF-1α overexpression. Analysis of CKD patient biopsies confirmed elevated HIF-1α expression, which correlated with reduced eGFR, increased fibrosis, and enhanced cellular senescence.

conclusionAdequate HIF-1α activation during early AKI is associated with acute senescence and renal repair, whereas sustained HIF-1α drives chronic senescence via persistent autophagy activation and may contribute to the AKI-to-CKD transition.

Indexed as

Acute kidney injuryAutophagyCellular senescenceChronic kidney diseaseHypoxia-inducible factor-1α

Identifiers

PMID41838831
PMCPMC13167096

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.