Research progress of astragaloside IV in treating acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common clinical critical illnesses, with decreased glomerular filtration rate, retention of nitrogen products, water and electrolyte disorders, and acid–base imbalance as the main clinical manifestations. Presently, there is no effective treatment for acute kidney injury, but the main treatment is to cure the primary disease, remove risk factors, maintain acid–base and water–electrolyte balance, and undergo kidney replacement. However, the mortality rate is still high. Investigations and studies showed that the mortality rate of patients with acute kidney injury in the ICU is 5–80% [1]. In recent years, Chinese medicine has been widely used in acute kidney injury treatment due to its complete dialectical system and rich experience. Astragalus is a commonly used medicine in traditional Chinese medicine to treat acute kidney injury. Astragaloside IV is the main active component of traditional Chinese medicine, Astragalus membranaceus. This article summarizes the relevant studies on treating acute kidney injury with astragaloside IV.