2017, Volume 11, Issue 3
Frontiers of Medicine >> 2017, Volume 11, Issue 3 doi: 10.1007/s11684-017-0569-9
Non-genetic mechanisms of diabetic nephropathy
1. Department of Nephrology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Chinese PLA Institute of Nephrology, State Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Diseases, Beijing Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases, Beijing 100853, China.
2. Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
Next Previous
Abstract
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus patients and is characterized by thickened glomerular basement membrane, increased extracellular matrix formation, and podocyte loss. These phenomena lead to proteinuria and altered glomerular filtration rate, that is, the rate initially increases but progressively decreases. DN has become the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Its prevalence shows a rapid growth trend and causes heavy social and economic burden in many countries. However, this disease is multifactorial, and its mechanism is poorly understood due to the complex pathogenesis of DN. In this review, we highlight the new molecular insights about the pathogenesis of DN from the aspects of immune inflammation response, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, apoptosis and mitochondrial damage, epigenetics, and podocyte–endothelial communication. This work offers groundwork for understanding the initiation and progression of DN, as well as provides ideas for developing new prevention and treatment measures.
京公网安备 11010502051620号
