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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Nutr.

Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1669557

This article is part of the Research TopicNatural Bioactives: A Promising Avenue for Metabolic Syndrome TherapyView all 4 articles

Natural compounds regulating fatty acid oxidation in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease

Provisionally accepted
Jianing  SunJianing Sun1Chengqian  YinChengqian Yin1Zhe  LiZhe Li1Xiangyu  GaoXiangyu Gao1Hua  GaoHua Gao1SongLin  LiSongLin Li1Yan  AnYan An1*Peng  LiuPeng Liu2*Na  LiuNa Liu1*
  • 1Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Heilongjiang Academy of Chinese Medicine Sciences, Harbin, China
  • 2China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Xiyuan Hospital, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease worldwide, and lipid metabolism disorder is a key factor in accelerating its progression. Among them, the impaired fatty acid oxidation (FAO) function of renal tissue constitutes one of the core pathological links of lipid metabolism disorders. In DKD, impaired FAO function can directly lead to lipid accumulation, mitochondrial stress, and trigger an inflammatory cascade, thereby promoting the occurrence and development of glomerulosclerosis and renal tubular injury. However, the efficacy of current DKD treatment strategies is still limited. Natural compounds (such as polyphenols, phenolic acids, alkaloids, glycosides, and carotenoids) have shown potential in renal protection due to their multi-target and multi-pathway characteristics. Studies have shown that regulating the FAO process in the context of lipid metabolism disorders is a crucial mechanism by which natural compounds can exert anti-DKD effects. It is worth noting that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are core transcription factors that regulate FAO. Specifically, these active ingredients can upregulate the expression of their downstream target genes by activating the PPAR signaling pathway (especially PPARα), thereby improving FAO function, correcting abnormal lipid metabolism, and ultimately delaying the progression of renal pathological mechanisms such as inflammation and fibrosis. The above findings provide an essential scientific basis for the development of new, safe, and effective DKD therapeutic drugs.

Keywords: Diabetic kidney disease, renal lipid metabolism disorders, naturalcompounds, fatty acid oxidation, PPARs

Received: 20 Jul 2025; Accepted: 30 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Sun, Yin, Li, Gao, Gao, Li, An, Liu and Liu. 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:
Yan An, 41756786@qq.com
Peng Liu, drliupeng@sina.cn
Na Liu, xuanfuhua@126.com

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