Work

Gut microbiota: an important player in diabetic kidney disease

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most prevalent and severe microvascular complications of diabetes, with growing morbidity and mortality. The dysbiosis of gut microbiota exhibits a robust correlation with DKD pathogenesis. Recently, a growing body of researches have significantly advanced our comprehension of the gut microbiota's role in influencing the onset, progression, prevention, and therapeutic strategies for DKD. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature search across multiple scientific databases to investigate the relationship between gut microbiota and DKD, the role of gut dysbiosis in DKD pathogenesis, and novel gut-kidney axis-based therapeutic approaches. The selection of the articles are based on relevance to the research topic, methodological rigor, and contribution to the field. RESULTS: Our review demonstrates that gut microbiota in DKD patients exhibits distinct compositional alterations compared to healthy individuals, characterized by reduced microbial diversity, altered abundance, and taxonomic shifts at genus/species levels. Mechanistically, gut microbiota influences DKD through multiple pathways: inflammatory activation, epithelial barrier dysfunction, vascular hyperpermeability, and metabolite-mediated signaling. Crucially, the imbalance of gut microbiota may initiate or accelerate DKD pathogenesis, whereas short-chain fatty acids, probiotics and dietary interventions demonstrate protective effects against disease onset and progression. CONCLUSION: Microbiota-targeted intervention represents a promising therapeutic strategies for DKD management.

Source: Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome

DOI: 10.1186/s13098-025-02037-4

Authors: Peizhi Shi, Leiyang Chen

Institution: First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University

Language: English

Topic: Gut microbiota and health

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,890