Fig. 8

Tubular autophagy is associated with better renal recovery in patients with ischemic acute kidney injury (AKI). a, b Representative periodic acid-Schiff stained photomicrographs indicated the extent of acute tubular injury including loss of brush border, dilation of tubular lumens, and flattening or vacuolization of epithelial cells (arrows) in patients with mild (injured tubules < 50%) or severe (injured tubules ≥ 50%) ischemic AKI. Scale = 100 μm. c Baseline renal function in patients with mild (n = 20) and severe (n = 15, injured tubules ≥ 50%) ischemic AKI, compared by the unpaired t test. d Expression of LC3B mRNA levels (transcripts per million, TPM) in patients with mild and severe AKI, compared by the Wilcoxon rank sum test. e, f Correlation between renal LC3B expression with baseline renal function and Nrf2 in AKI patients by Pearson’s correlation test