Author(s)

Liliane Silvano Araújo¹, Marcos Vinícius da Silva², Crislaine Aparecida da Silva¹, Maria Luiza Reis Monteiro¹, Lívia Helena de Morais Pereira¹, Laura Penna Rocha¹, Rosana Rosa Miranda Corrêa¹, Marlene Antônia Reis¹, Juliana Reis Machado^1,3*

¹General Pathology and Nephropathology Service, Institute of Biological and Natural Sciences of Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Brazil.
²Immunology, Institute of Biological and Natural Sciences of Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Brazil.
³General Pathology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health of Federal University of Goiás, Goiania, Brazil.

Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) is considered the main cause of end stage kidney disease around the world. However, its pathogenesis is not completely established. More than just a direct consequence of chronic glycemic changes, recent studies had suggested Diabetic Nephropathy could be considered an inflammatory disease. It has been shown that concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines, as IL-1, IL-6, IL-18, IL-33, IFN-γ and TNF-α actively participate in development and progression of DN, and thus, are involved in pathogenesis. Besides, changes in acquired immune response, especially the presence of cellular immune response profiles of pro-inflammatory and effector nature, mainly Th1 and Th17, as the imbalance between interaction of cytokines and T regulatory cells, foment the onset and progression of DN. Here we summarize the main evidences that support the critical role of the immune system in this condition. These new conceptual advances in DN understanding are essential for development of new the rapeutical strategies and prognostic factors, which could be protagonists or adjuvants to the current ones, leading ultimately to a better clinical management of DN patients.

Diabetic Nephropathy, Cytokines, Cellular Immunity

Araújo, L. , da Silva, M. , da Silva, C. , Monteiro, M. , de Morais Pereira, L. , Rocha, L. , Corrêa, R. , Reis, M. and Machado, J. (2016) Cytokines and T Helper Cells in Diabetic Nephropathy Pathogenesis. Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, 6, 230-246. doi: 10.4236/jdm.2016.64025.