Correlation of autophagy and diabetic nephropathy: Research advances / 国际药学研究杂志

Autophagy is a cellular normal reaction to cope with the changes in internal and external environmental pressure, and a degradation process of the material composition. Recent studies have shown that autophagy is closely related to the growth and physiological and pathological events of podocytes in kidneys and it is a potential target for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and a self-protection mechanism. Rregulation of autophagy can affect some signaling pathways in the development of DN. Thus, we summarize the pathogenesis of DN, the role of autophagy in the intrinsic kidney cells, and the effect of autophagy on some signaling pathways in the development of DN in this review.