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Current insights into the role of HIF-PHD axis in renal anemia

CAO Jing-Yuan, LIU Bi-Cheng^*

Institute of Nephrology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China

Abstract

Renal anemia, mainly caused by the deficiencies of erythropoietin (EPO) and iron metabolism disorder, is one of the most common complications of chronic kidney disease. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a class of transcription factors responsible for maintaining homeostasis during oxygen deprivation. In normoxia, HIF is degraded by prolyl hydroxylase (PHD). While under hypoxic conditions, the hydroxylation activity of PHD is inhibited, and the cellular concentration of HIF is elevated, resulting in an increase in endogenous EPO production and iron absorption. Therefore, this regulating pathway, also termed as the HIF-PHD axis, has become a promising therapeutic target of treating renal anemia. Several innovative drugs acting as selective HIF-PHD inhibitors have been successfully developed in the past years, and some of them are undergoing clinical trials. In this review, we will introduce the definition and regulatory mechanism of HIF-PHD axis, as well as current insights into its physiologic and therapeutic role in renal anemia.

Key words: hypoxia inducible factor; prolyl hydroxylase; hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase axis; renal anemia

Received: 2018-01-28　　Accepted: 2018-05-07

Corresponding author: 刘必成　　E-mail: liubc64@163.com

DOI: 10.13294/j.aps.2018.0058

Citing This Article：

CAO Jing-Yuan, LIU Bi-Cheng. Current insights into the role of HIF-PHD axis in renal anemia. Acta Physiol Sin 2018; 70 (6): 623-629 (in Chinese with English abstract).