Table 4.

Clinical medications of MCs in DKD

Mediators or Agents	Mechanisms	Effects	Reference(s)
Metformin	Activating AMPK/SIRT1-FoxO1 pathway; stimulating GLP-1R expression	Enhancing autophagy and slowed down abnormal cell proliferation in high glucose cultured RMCs	179, 180
Liraglutide	Activating the ERK‑Yap signaling pathway and upregulating Sirt3 expression	Contributing to the shielding of MCs from hyperglycaemia-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis	183
Liraglutide	Enhancing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling	Suppressing production of extracellular matrix proteins and ameliorating renal injury of diabetic nephropathy	184
cagliflozin	Inhibiting the PKC/NADPH oxidase pathway	Reducing aberrant ROS production in HG-stimulated MCs and renal mesangial dilatation in db/db mice	188
Selegiline	Inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad signaling; upregulating heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression	Alleviating DKD	190, 191
Enarodustat	Inhibiting the CCL2/MCP-1 production	Reducing proteinuria and glomerular damage	194
Telmisartan	Reducing AGE-induced MCP-1;governing HG-induced TGFβ1 expression	Alleviating DKD	195, 196