PHARMACEUTICAL ACTIVATORS OF ATP-DEPENDENT POTASSIUM CHANNELS AS POTENTIAL NEPHROPROTECTORS AGAINST GLOMERULAR AND TUBULAR DAMAGE TO THE NEPHRON (REVIEW).

Considering the incidence, high risk of progression and severe consequences of renal pathology, a preventive therapy as well as correction of kidney dysfunction are issues of a great importance today. An essential condition for an improvement of nephroprotection is a determination of new mechanisms of disturbances and restoration of homeostatic kidney processes. A unique physiological role of ATP-dependent potassium (KATP) channels and their participation in adaptive-compensatory reactions substantiate the feasibility of search for effective nephroprotectors among pharmacological modulators of their activity.