The Mechanism of CD8⁺ T Cells for Reducing Myofibroblasts Accumulation during Renal Fibrosis

Abstract

Renal fibrosis is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a common manifestation of end-stage renal disease that is associated with multiple types of renal insults and functional loss of the kidney. Unresolved renal inflammation triggers fibrotic processes by promoting the activation and expansion of extracellular matrix-producing fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Growing evidence now indicates that diverse T cells and macrophage subpopulations play central roles in the inflammatory microenvironment and fibrotic process. The present review aims to elucidate the role of CD8+ T cells in renal fibrosis, and identify its possible mechanisms in the inflammatory microenvironment.

Keywords

• fibroblast
• myofibroblast
• embryonic origin
• cell diversity
• development
• extracellular matrix homeostasis