Klotho in acute kidney injury: biomarker, therapy, or a bit of both?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) diagnosis is based on an increase in serum creatinine or a decrease in urine output. To be effective, treatment of AKI should be started very early after the insult and well before the rise of serum creatinine. Thus, sensitive biologic markers of renal tubular injury in AKI are strongly needed. Hu et al. suggest that Klotho could be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target of ischemia-induced AKI. Kidney International (2010) 78, 1208-1210. doi:10.1038/ki.2010.367