An update on diabetic kidney disease, oxidative stress and antioxidant agents.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that is defined by relative or absolute deficiency of insulin secretion. Diabetic kidney disease seems to be one of the most frequent complications of diabetes mellitus. Based on evidence, increased free-radical formation and/or diminished antioxidant defenses induce oxidative stress that is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease. It is evident that diabetic state induces oxidative stress through different signaling pathways as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation that attributes to the activation of various downstream signaling cascade leading to structural the way to structural and functional changes in kidney.