Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is regarded as a progressive disease, whose main pathological features are excessive deposition of extracellular matrix, resulting in nephron lesions. Depending on the location of ECM deposition, there are glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and other pathological processes [1]. Throughout the progression of CKD, chronic inflammation and renal fibrosis are important participants. Multitudinous kidney diseases, such as chronic glomerulonephritis, chronic renal nephritis, diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephropathy, have pathological features of renal fibrosis, and finally have the risk of terminal renal failure.

When the renal organ is damaged, a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrate the injury site, the nephron shrinks, and the transformation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts is activated, so that the extracellular matrix (ECM) is over-deposited in the interstitium and scarring, which seriously affects the normal metabolic function of the kidney [2]. The ECM is composed of a fibrous network and a gel-like matrix, in which the fibrous network contains collagen, elastin, fibronectin, and laminin, while the abnormal secretion of collagen is a hallmark phenomenon of fibrosis, which is produced by the main effector cells - myofibroblasts in the process of fibrosis. The transformation of myofibroblasts is another hallmark event of renal fibrosis. These are some characteristic responses in the process of renal fibrosis [3]. In order to obtain new treatment strategies, we should attempt to discover certain features of renal fibrosis, which are also of the significance of this review.

In the past few decades, the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis has become more and more unambiguous. A mass of cytokines and growth factors are involved in the regulation of multiple signaling pathways. Accurate understanding of the pathogenesis is an important prerequisite for anti-fibrosis treatment, and precise judgment and evaluation of fibrosis is also a key point in treatment. This review aims to find potential targets of renal fibrosis and discuss the pharmacological effects and pharmacodynamic relationships of corresponding inhibitors. The latest research status of these compounds provides new insights and ideas for renal fibrosis treatment, and puts forward some new treatment methods, which has important guiding significance for the treatment of fibrotic diseases.