Renal lipid deposition and diabetic nephropathy

Abstract Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus and the main cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Lipid metabolism disorders are a common clinical manifestation of DN and are involved in the development of DN. Ectopic lipid deposition refers to lipids deposited in nonadipose tissue, such as liver, brain, skeletal muscle, and kidney. Recently, renal lipid deposition has been shown to play an important role in the pathological progression of DN. In this review, we summarize our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of renal lipid deposition and explore the relationship between renal lipid deposition and renal injury in DN.