Objective To summarize the characteristics of animal models of acute kidney injury (AKI) both domestically and internationally, providing references for the standardization and normalization of animal model preparation for this disease. Methods We searched and collated relevant literature on AKI animal models included in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, and PubMed databases since their establishment. Data statistics and analysis were conducted on animal strains, modeling methods, modeling cycles, modeling criteria, positive drugs, detection indicators, and other contents. Results A total of 266 articles were included (220 in Chinese and 46 in English). The majority of animal strains were male rats, aged 8 to 10 weeks and weighing 180 to 250 g. There were 22 modeling methods, primarily consisting of ischemia-reperfusion and intramuscular injection of glycerol as single-factor modeling approaches. The modeling cycle was mostly concentrated within 14 days, with the highest number of articles recording between 6h to 24h. The criteria for establishing the model were not fully unified, but most articles judged based on SCr, BUN, and renal pathological changes. Positive drugs mainly included captopril and ginsenoside. Detection indicators mainly involved comprehensive evaluations such as renal function assessment, histopathological evaluation, and experimental animal observation. Conclusion Currently, there is still a lack of well-standardized AKI animal model preparation and modeling criteria with high clinical concordance. The comprehensive application of multi-level and multi-angle detection indicators needs improvement. There remains significant research space for establishing a combined model of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes and diseases