IL6 and acute kidney injury: Similarly, esculin treatment significantly reduced the release of pro-inflammatory factors in LPS-induced acute kidney injury in mice, including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1.[14] In addition, esculin was shown to protect against LPS-induced acute kidney injury by inhibiting the high mobility group box 1/Toll-like receptor 4 inflammatory pathway.