Current diagnostic criteria include sharp decline in renal function manifested by increase in serum Scr levels within 48 h after injury (≥ 0.3 mg/dl (≥ 26.5 µmol/L) or increase in Scr to ≥1.5 times baseline within the previous 7 days or urine output < 0.5 ml/kg/h for 6 h.
According to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) (2012) clinical practice guideline for AKI, it is a common clinical problem defined by an abrupt (< 48 h) increase in serum creatinine (Scr) resulting from an injury or insult that induces an abnormal kidney structure and function, including blood, urine, and tissue tests or imaging markers of renal injury in terms of an exception, persists for more than 6 h. In recent years, the incidence of contrast medium-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) has gradually increased along with the broad application of interventional therapy, which is gaining increasing attention. This review summarizes the current clinical and research progress of some important biomarkers in the field of acute kidney injury (AKI). This review summarizes the important biomarkers identified by previous studies and aims to highlight the advancements that might provide new methods for early clinical diagnosis and effective therapeutic options, along with prediction of response to treatment for AKI. Therefore, future studies are necessary to explore more effective biomarkers for AKI clinical practice, which would play an important role in the early diagnosis and intervention treatment of AKI. More ideal biomarkers are needed to be identified. These biomarkers provide an important basis for early monitoring of AKI, but are still not quite sufficient. In the context of the requirements for the diagnosis and treatment of a renal disorder, a large number of studies have explored biological markers and their usefulness to the early diagnosis and treatment of AKI, including glomerular injury, renal tubular injury, and others. The pathogenesis of AKI is diverse and complex. Accompanied with the broad application of interventional therapy, the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) has been recently increasing in clinical renal medicine.