Subtotal Nephrectomy as a Model of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Subtotal nephrectomy (5/6 nephrectomy) is one of the most widely used animal models for
modifying chronic kidney disease. Animal models of kidney disease play an important role to understand
pathophysiology, progressivity, and therapies for the disease. The development of animal models that mimic
the conditions in human disease is still a challenge.
Methods: We conducted a systematic search in the main biomedical databases MEDLINE (PubMed) and
the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Conclusion: The subtotal nephrectomy procedure is a good model for chronic kidney disease. The kidney
damage on this model most closely mimics with kidney damage in humans. This procedure used to remove
or destroys 5/6 parts of the kidney, leaving only 1/3 of the kidney mass. There are variations to this procedure.
Variations included in the type of incision, the location of the uninephrectomy, the type of ligase/ablation,
the operation stage (one or two steps), the length of time between 2 operating procedures, the length of time
for observation, and the type of animal used. Variations procedure in subtotal nephrectomy model have
different effects on biochemical parameters, morphology, and markers of kidney damage.