REN and acute kidney injury: Therefore, we propose that the observed upregulation of secreted RENIN in the AKI urine samples 72 h post-surgery might be causative for the downregulation of secreted ADIPOQ, while the early upregulation of secreted ADIPOQ results in the activation of the angiogenesis-related genes CXCL1 and VEGF, thus reflecting the initiation of the repair processes in the damaged nephron.