Copper Metabolism-Related Cell Death in Kidney Diseases: Molecular Mechanisms, Disease-Specific Evidence, and Translational Implications

Abstract

Copper is essential for mitochondrial respiration, antioxidant defense, extracellular matrix maturation, and cellular signaling, yet disturbances in its abundance or intracellular distribution can damage the kidney through mechanistically distinct pathways. Cuproptosis is a specific copper-dependent form of regulated cell death in which copper binds lipoylated mitochondrial proteins, promotes aggregation of tricarboxylic acid cycle components, destabilizes iron–sulfur cluster proteins, and elicits FDX1- and protein lipoylation-dependent proteotoxic stress. This mechanism should be distinguished from broader copper-associated injury, including redox imbalance, glutathione depletion, respiratory-chain inhibition, senescence, apoptosis, and lysyl oxidase-mediated matrix remodeling. This narrative review examines how renal copper uptake, trafficking, and compartmentalization interact with cell-specific metabolism to shape copper-related cell fates across acute kidney injury, nephrotoxicity, renal ischemia–reperfusion injury, crystal- and lipid-related tubular injury, diabetic kidney disease, podocyte injury, chronic kidney disease and renal fibrosis, end-stage renal disease, renal cell carcinoma, and hereditary copper disorders. Mechanistic evidence is strongest in selected acute tubular, crystal-injury, and renal cancer models, in which transporter manipulation, DLAT oligomerization, iron–sulfur perturbation, or functional rescue has been demonstrated. In chronic kidney disease and fibrosis, copper-DLAT interactions, complex IV inhibition, COMMD1-SOD1 dysfunction, and ATP7A-FBLN4-LOX signaling establish pathogenic copper dependence but do not yet demonstrate a complete canonical cuproptosis pathway. By integrating disease-specific evidence with the molecular determinants of copper handling and protein lipoylation, this review identifies current therapeutic opportunities, candidate biomarkers, and key research priorities while preserving the distinction between cuproptosis and other forms of copper-associated kidney injury.