With quantitative RT-PCR, we measured the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine mRNAs in the kidney [keratinocyte-derived cytokine (KC), monocyte chemoattractive protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)] 24 hr after sham-surgery or 30 min renal ischemia. Some mice were injected with MNP-ODN2088 6 hr before renal ischemia. A separate cohort of mice was injected with MNP-ODN2088 at the time of reperfusion or 1.5 hr after reperfusion. Another cohort of mice were injected with 5 mg/kg naked ODN2088 i.v. 6 hr before renal ischemia. Fold increases in pro-inflammatory mRNAs normalized to GAPDH from quantitative RT-PCR reactions for each indicated mRNA (N=4–6) are shown. *P < 0.05 vs. control MNP injected sham-operated mice. #P < 0.05 vs. control ODN injected mice subjected to renal IR injury. Error bars represent 1 SEM.