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Glucose and glycogen in the diabetic kidney: Heroes or villains?

Mitchell A Sullivan1, Josephine M Forbes2

  • 1Glycation and Diabetes Group, Mater Research Institute-The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.

Ebiomedicine
|August 14, 2019
PubMed

Insights

The role of kidney glycogen in diabetic kidney disease is explored. Understanding glycogen accumulation may reveal how diabetes damages kidneys, independent of blood sugar control.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Diabetology
  • Metabolic Research

Background:

  • Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors show significant renal and cardiovascular benefits in diabetic patients.
  • These benefits appear to be partly independent of systemic glucose-lowering effects, prompting research into alternative mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of glycogen accumulation and metabolism in the diabetic kidney.
  • To determine if renal glycogen is pathological, protective, or inconsequential in the context of diabetic kidney disease.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on renal glucose metabolism and SGLT2 inhibitor mechanisms.
  • Analysis of studies investigating glycogen deposition in the diabetic kidney.

Main Results:

  • Abnormal glycogen accumulation occurs in the diabetic kidney.
  • The precise role of this glycogen (pathological, protective, or bystander) remains unclear.

Conclusions:

  • Investigating renal glycogen metabolism is crucial for understanding diabetic kidney disease.
  • This research may elucidate mechanisms linking diabetes to kidney complications beyond glycemic control.
Keywords:
DiabetesGlucoseGlycogenGlycogen storage diseaseKidney disease

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