Role of mutual regulation of microRNA and signal pathway in diabetic nephropathy

As one of the common microvascular complications of diabetes,diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is an important cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease.The major pathological features of DKD include loss of podocytes,thickening of glomerular basement membrane,hypertrophy of mesangial cells and ultimate renal fibrosis due to a deposition of extracellular matrix.In recent years,growing evidence has shown that miRNA plays an important role in the occurrence and development of DKD.Many studies have demonstrated that miRNA could interact with signaling pathways for regulating the expression of DKD-related genes.Identifying abnormal expression of miRNA in early-stage DKD is vital for its timely diagnosis and treatment.This review summarized the effects of miRNA on the occurrence and development of DKD at the level of cell signaling pathways.