ABSTRACT
Diabetic nephropathy （DN） is among the common microvascular complications of diabetes. In recent years， the incidence has been on the rise with the increase in prevalence of diabetes， threatening the health of human. The early stage of DN is characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix （ECM） and thickening of glomerular basement membrane which result in glomerular mesangial proliferation and massive collagen deposition. The late stage features glomerular sclerosis and renal fibrosis （RF）. It has been confirmed that RF is the key pathological process for the development of DN. Therefore， it is the research focus to explore the pathogenesis and treatment methods of RF. It has been frequently verified that Chinese medicine is superior in the treatment of diabetic RF. It relieves diabetic RF by regulating transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）， secretory glycoprotein （Wnt）/β-catenin， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Notch， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， and other signaling pathways. Therefore， this paper reviews the pathogenesis of diabetic RF and the treatment with Chinese medicine， which is expected to serve as a reference for clinical application of Chinese medicine in the treatment of diabetic RF.