DAMPening sterile inflammation of the kidney

Renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a serious cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Danger-associated–molecular pattern molecules (DAMPs) are thought to promote IRI by initiating immune cell infiltration and driving disease progression, but the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are mainly unclear. Poluzzi et al. demonstrate that soluble biglycan is a bimodal DAMP that both recruits proinflammatory macrophages and initiates resolution of inflammation and tissue remodeling in IRI, identifying a potential therapeutic target.