ABSTRACT

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes which leads to end-stage renal disease. It is a progressive disease, assessed by a time-dependent rise in urinary albumin excretion and the decline in renal functions along with extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, glomerular basement thickening, glomerulosclerosis, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. It has multi-etiological pathogenesis such as oxidative stress, inflammation, production of advanced glycation end products and protein kinase C activation, which are attributed to hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertensive state. Herbal medicines are being progressively used all over the world. Bioactive phytomolecules are secondary metabolites having pharmacological effects. The enormous cost and side effects of allopathic drugs have increased the need for newer therapeutic agents that have the potential to prevent the primary mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of DN with less cost and minimum toxicity. This chapter explains the role of various herbal phytomolecules in signaling pathways associated with DN.