REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cellular Biochemistry
Multidimensional Mechanisms of Quercetin in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Zhaoyuan Gong
Qianzi Che
Bin Liu
Mingzhi Hu
Haili Zhang
Ning Liang
Huizhen Li
Guozhen Zhao
Lijiao Yan
Tian Song
Chen Lin
Nannan Shi
Jing Guo
Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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Abstract
Quercetin is a flavonoid compound that has demonstrated substantial potential in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, there is still a lack of systematic research on the exact mechanism of action of quercetin. This review discusses the druggability, molecular targets, and signaling pathways of quercetin in DKD treatment. We retrieved the latest research on the pharmacological effects and mechanisms related to quercetin from PubMed and Scopus as of June 2025 (2012-2025). Evidence suggests that quercetin has the potential to eliminate senescent cells in DKD. Network pharmacology was used to predict the targets and pathways of quercetin in targeting cellular senescence to treat DKD. Using on existing research, it was further confirmed that quercetin can effectively act on hub target and pathway. The mechanism of quercetin therapy in DKD was summarized from three dimensions: inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. This review highlights the potential of quercetin for treating DKD by providing a biological basis for its mechanism of action and its use as a senolytic drug for this disease.
Summary
Keywords
cellular senescence, diabetic nephropathy, literature review, Network Pharmacology, Quercetin
Received
15 September 2025
Accepted
10 December 2025
Copyright
© 2025 Gong, Che, Liu, Hu, Zhang, Liang, Li, Zhao, Yan, Song, Lin, Shi and Guo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Nannan Shi; Jing Guo
Disclaimer
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