Figure 3.

NF-κB signaling pathway in DN. NF-κB is a transcriptional regulator expressed in the cytoplasm of almost all cell types, and its activity is controlled by the IκB regulatory protein family. Activation of NF-κB involves the inhibitory protein IκB kinase being phosphorylated by specific IκB and subsequently degraded by proteolysis. Free NF-κB translocates to the nucleus, binds to promoter and enhancer sites, and activates transcription. NF-κB signaling pathway leads to increased transcription of target genes encoding inflammatory cytokines and other target genes associated with this complication, resulting in renal inflammation.