Oxidative stress and inflammation are two possible mechanisms related to nephrotoxicity caused by environmental pollutants. Ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant phytochemical, may have great relevance in mitigating pollutant-induced nephrotoxicity and preventing the progression of kidney disease. This review discusses the latest findings on the protective effects of ellagic acid, its metabolic derivatives, the urolithins, against kidney toxicity caused by heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, and organic air pollutants. We describe the chelating, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, antiautophagic, and antiapoptotic properties of ellagic acid to attenuate nephrotoxicity. Furthermore, we present the molecular targets and signaling pathways that are regulated by these antioxidants, and suggest some others that should be explored. Nevertheless, the number of reports is still limited to establish the efficacy of ellagic acid against kidney damage induced by environmental pollutants. Therefore, additional preclinical studies on this topic are required, as well as the development of well-designed clinical trials.

氧化应激和炎症是与环境污染物引起的肾毒性相关的两种可能机制。鞣花酸是一种强大的抗氧化植物化学物质，可能在减轻污染物引起的肾毒性和预防肾脏疾病的进展方面具有重要意义。本综述讨论了鞣花酸及其代谢衍生物尿石素对重金属、杀虫剂、霉菌毒素和有机空气污染物引起的肾脏毒性的保护作用的最新发现。我们描述了鞣花酸的螯合、抗氧化、抗炎、抗纤维化、抗自噬和抗凋亡特性，以减轻肾毒性。此外，我们介绍了受这些抗氧化剂调节的分子靶点和信号通路，并提出了一些其他应该探索的建议。然而，关于确定鞣花酸对环境污染物引起的肾脏损害的功效的报道数量仍然有限。因此，需要对该主题进行额外的临床前研究，以及开发设计良好的临床试验。