Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly recognized as a global public health concern, impacting about 700 million people worldwide. Due to the presence of both pro- and anti-apoptotic properties, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can be a double-edged sword in the pathogenesis and progression of CKD. Systematic mapping of the available evidence is pivotal in identifying the exact role of TRAIL in CKD. Therefore, this protocol explains the methodological approach for a scoping review to map evidence regarding the role of TRAIL and its receptors in CKD.

Methods The proposed scoping review will be conducted in line with Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) reviewer’s manual. Accordingly, the review will be guided by the five-stage approach, namely (1) identify the research question; (2) identify relevant studies; (3) select studies; (4) chart the data; and (5) collate, summarize, and report the results. Eligibility criteria and search strategy will be formulated based on population, concept, and context (PCC) strategy. Articles published up to July 2025 will be searched using electronic databases, PubMed/MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library, while considering the Google Scholar reference lists of review articles as grey literature sources. A formal quality appraisal of the selected studies will be conducted using the mixed-method appraisal tool (MMAT version 2018). The reporting will be done following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for the Scoping Reviews checklist. The literature search is expected to commence after the protocol acceptance process, followed by study selection and data extraction by November 2025. Data synthesis will be completed by February 2026.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

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Data will be made publicly available when the study is completed and published as a scoping review.