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Renal dysplasia development and chronic kidney disease

Pediatric Research (2025)Cite this article

Abstract

Renal dysplasia is a common congenital birth defect in childhood, caused by fetal genetic defects, epigenetic modification disorders, or environmental factors. Maternal malnutrition, placental insufficiency, and exposure to harmful substances such as alcohol, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and cocaine during pregnancy increase the risk of fetal renal dysplasia. The pathogenesis of this disease involves abnormal formation of renal units, leading to structural and functional abnormalities of the kidney. If left untreated, renal dysplasia can progress to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. This review explores the etiology and pathogenesis of renal dysplasia, emphasizing the intrinsic link between renal dysplasia and CKD through various pathological pathways. Additionally, we propose potential therapeutic agents targeting these mechanisms. We also highlight future research directions to further understand and address this issue. We hope this review will deepen clinicians’ understanding of renal dysplasia and promote further laboratory research in this area.

Impact

  1. 1.

    This review comprehensively summarizes and elucidates the complex relationship between renal dysplasia and chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on previous research, offering new directions for related studies.

  1. 2.

    It expands upon conservative treatment approaches for renal dysplasia, providing more clinical options for therapeutic intervention.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the CQMU Program for Youth Innovation in Future Medicine (W0056) and the Chongqing Science and Health Joint TCM Technology Innovation and Application Development Project (2020ZY023877).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Surgery, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Li Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China

    Li Zhang

  3. Chongqing Key Laboratory of Structural Birth Defect and Reconstruction, Chongqing, China

    Chunjiang Yang, Xing Liu, Dawei He, Tao Lin, Guanghui Wei & Deying Zhang

  4. Department of Urology Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Xing Liu, Dawei He, Tao Lin, Guanghui Wei & Deying Zhang

  5. Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Yuanyuan Zhang

Authors
  1. Li Zhang
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  2. Chunjiang Yang
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  3. Xing Liu
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  4. Dawei He
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  5. Tao Lin
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  6. Yuanyuan Zhang
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  7. Guanghui Wei
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  8. Deying Zhang
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Contributions

Li Zhang: researching the literature; writing of the draft manuscript. Chunjiang Yang: discussions of the article content. Yuanyuan Zhang: substantial editing of the draft manuscript. Xing Liu: discussions of the article content. Dawei He: discussions of the article content. Tao Lin: discussions of the article content. Guanghui Wei: discussions of the article content. Deying Zhang: discussions of the article content; substantial editing of the draft manuscript; reviewing of the draft manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Deying Zhang.

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Zhang, L., Yang, C., Liu, X. et al. Renal dysplasia development and chronic kidney disease. Pediatr Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-03950-0

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