Fig. 1

Renal repair function of MSCs in acute kidney injury. After infusion, MSCs temporarily adhere to glomerular and postglomerular capillaries. Through a series of mechanisms, MSCs exert anti-apoptotic/anti-oxidative, anti-inflammation, immunomodulation, and pro-angiogenic effects. a Cytokines and growth factors are delivered to the injured tubular cells through paracrine actions. b This mechanism can also proceed through endocrine actions. c MSCs can secrete plenty of microvesicles, which are particularly enriched in functional mRNAs and microRNAs. Crosstalk between microvesicles and injured tubular cells causes beneficial changes in the respective gene expression profiles. d Some studies have also demonstrated MSCs may have the ability to directly differentiate into target cells