The Therapeutic Potential of CDK4/6 Inhibitors, Novel Cancer Drugs, in Kidney Diseases

Sep 24, 2026

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Inflammation drives cancer and kidney disease progression, with cyclin-dependent kinases CDK4 and CDK6 influencing cell-cycle control, metabolism, immunogenicity, and anti-tumor immune responses. CDK4/6 inhibitors have regulatory approval for breast cancer and show benefit beyond malignancy, including specific kidney disorders. This review outlines mammalian cell-cycle fundamentals and CDK4/6 roles, introduces CDK4/6 inhibitors in cancer therapy, and highlights accumulating evidence for renoprotective effects. Targeting CDK4 and CDK6 may deliver future therapeutic advantages for both cancers and kidney diseases.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Cell Cycle and Its Regulation

Review The Therapeutic Potential of CDK4/6 Inhibitors, Novel Cancer Drugs, in Kidney Diseases Xuan-Bing Liang†, Zhi-Cheng Dai†, Rong Zou, Ji-Xin Tang * and Cui-Wei Yao * Citation: Liang, X.-B.; Dai, Z.-C.; Zou, R.; Tang, J.-X.; Yao, C.-W. The Therapeutic Potential of CDK4/6 Inhibitors, Novel Cancer Drugs, in Kidney Diseases. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 13558. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)ijms241713558 Academic Editors: Takuji Tanaka, Masahito Shimizu and Michihiro Mutoh Received: 12 July 2023 Revised: 27 August 2023 Accepted: 29 August 2023 Published: 31 August 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Autophagy and Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Management of Chronic Kidney Diseases of Zhanjiang City, Institute of Nephrology, Afﬁliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China * Correspondence: [tangjixin@gdmu.edu.cn](tangjixin@gdmu.edu.cn) (J.-X.T.); [yaocuiwei@gdmu.edu.cn](yaocuiwei@gdmu.edu.cn) (C.-W.Y.)† These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: Inﬂammation is a crucial pathological feature in cancers and kidney diseases, playing a signiﬁcant role in disease progression. Cyclin-dependent kinases CDK4 and CDK6 not only contribute to cell cycle progression but also participate in cell metabolism, immunogenicity and anti-tumor immune responses. Recently, CDK4/6 inhibitors have gained approval for investigational treatment of breast cancer and various other tumors. Kidney diseases and cancers commonly exhibit characteristic pathological features, such as the involvement of inﬂammatory cells and persistent chronic inﬂammation. Remarkably, CDK4/6 inhibitors have demonstrated impressive efﬁcacy in treating non-cancerous conditions, including certain kidney diseases. Current studies have identiﬁed the renoprotective effect of CDK4/6 inhibitors, presenting a novel idea and potential direction for treating kidney diseases in the future. In this review, we brieﬂy reviewed the cell cycle in mammals and the role of CDK4/6 in regulating it. We then provided an introduction to CDK4/6 inhibitors and their use in cancer treatment. Additionally, we emphasized the importance of these inhibitors in the treatment of kidney diseases. Collectively, growing evidence demonstrates that targeting CDK4 and CDK6 through CDK4/6 inhibitors might have therapeutic beneﬁts in various cancers and kidney diseases and should be further explored in the future. Keywords: cell cycle; CDK4/6 inhibitors; cancer; kidney diseases; acute kidney injury; chronic kidney disease 1. Introduction The dysregulation of the cell cycle is closely associated with the development of various diseases, particularly cancer, where abnormal cell cycle activation is a hallmark of carcinogenesis. Moreover, dysregulated cell proliferation is also implicated in the pathogenesis of renal diseases, cardiovascular diseases and nervous system disorders. Consequently, there has been a considerable focus on targeting pathways that regulate the cell cycle across different disease disciplines for several years. CDK4/6 inhibitors are a novel class of therapy that selectively targets the CDK4/6-cyclin D complex to regulate the cell cycle. In recent years, the FDA has approved several CDK4/6 inhibitors, such as palbociclib, ribociclib and abemaciclib, for the treatment of HR-positive breast cancer patients. These inhibitors have shown remarkable results and have signiﬁcantly improved the options for breast cancer treatment [1–4] . The efﬁcacy of CDK4/6 inhibitors is now being expl

FAQs

What roles do CDK4 and CDK6 play in disease progression?

CDK4 and CDK6 contribute to cell cycle progression and also participate in cell metabolism, immunogenicity, and anti-tumor immune responses, linking them to both cancer and kidney disease progression.

How are CDK4/6 inhibitors used in cancer treatment?

CDK4/6 inhibitors selectively target the CDK4/6–cyclin D complex to regulate the cell cycle. They have been approved for HR-positive breast cancer and are being explored for other tumors.

What evidence is described for CDK4/6 inhibitors in kidney diseases?

The review emphasizes that CDK4/6 inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy and a renoprotective effect in certain kidney diseases, with growing evidence suggesting therapeutic benefits for kidney conditions in addition to cancers.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel