ABSTRACT
The basic features of chronic kidney disease are persistent decline in renal function, accumulation of extracellular matrix, and progressive tissue fibrosis. Renal interstitial fibrosis and renal anemia are common complications of chronic kidney disease. Renal interstitial fibrosis is a chronic and progressive process. Its severity is closely related to renal dysfunction. Renal anemia may increase the incidence of cardiovascular complications and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Therefore, it will be important to note the diagnosis and treatment of these two complications in the early stage of chronic kidney disease. The key cells mediating renal interstitial fibrosis are activated myofibroblasts, which are a major matrix-secreting cell type, and reactive cells mostly present under injury or pathological conditions; while the important factor mediating renal anemia is the reduction of erythropoietin-producing cells, which resulting in decreased secretion of erythropoietin (which is a glycoprotein hormone that promotes erythropoiesis). In addition, the transformation of erythropoietin-producing cells into myofibroblasts underlies the link between anemia and fibrosis in chronic kidney disease, and the transformation is reversible. Targeting this may open a new way for the treatment of renal anemia and renal interstitial fibrosis. In recent years, researchers have tried to find alternative therapies for the treatment of anemia and fibrosis in chronic kidney disease, and traditional Chinese medicine has been increasingly used to treat chronic kidney disease because of its unique advantages. The relationship has been mainly discussed in present paper between erythropoietin-producing cells and anemia and fibrosis in chronic kidney disease, and the current research status of traditional Chinese medicine is then analyzed and summarized.