Prolonged glucagon exposure rewires lipid oxidation and drives diabetic kidney disease progression.

ABSTRACT: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. Tubular abnormalities may precede glomerular pathology and indicate functional progression of DKD. Here, we find glucagon injection exacerbates lipid accumulation and renal injury, in addition to causing morphological changes in proximal tubules, podocytes, and mitochondria in the early phase of DKD in mice. However, the specific knockdown or knockout of Gcgr in renal tubular epithelial cells almost completely halts DKD development. In contrast to the effect of short-term glucagon stimulation, long-term glucagon exposure leads to the reversal of glucagon action (glucagon reversal) in proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs), which is characterized by reduced energy production and an increase in lipogenesis thr

SUBMITTER: Liu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12479795 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature