BIRC5 and acute kidney injury: Therefore, the present study was designed to determine whether pretreatment with simvastatin (1) ameliorates LPS-induced AKI, and, if it does, (2) to elucidate its role in hindering apoptotic death-inducing pathways in the tubular epithelial cells, and (3) subsequent upregulation of cell-survival mechanisms like survivin and Bcl-XL.