Role of Epigenetic Changes in the Pathophysiology of Diabetic Kidney Disease

Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a global health issue. Epigenetic changes play an important role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Summary: DKD is currently the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide. Although much is known about the pathophysiology of DKD, the research field of epigenetics is relatively new. Several recent studies have demonstrated that diabetes-induced dysregulation of epigenetic mechanisms alters the expression of pathological genes in kidney cells. If these changes persist for a long time, the so-called “metabolic memory” could be established. In this review, we highlight diabetes-induced epigenetic modifications associated with DKD. While there is a substantial amount of literature on epigenetic changes, only a few studies describe the underlying molecular mechanisms. Detailed analyses have shown that epigenetic changes play an important role in known pathological features of DKD, such as podocyte injury, fibrosis, accumulation of extracellular matrix, or oxidative injury, all of which contribute to the pathophysiology of disease. The transforming growth factor-β plays a key role as it is involved in all-mentioned epigenetic types of regulation. Key Messages: Epigenetic is crucial for the development and progression of DKD, but the detailed molecular mechanisms have to be further analyzed more in detail.