Interleukin‐18 and diabetic nephropathy: A review

The inflammatory response has an important role in the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy that is contributed to by inflammatory mediators such as interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), IL‐6, IL‐18, tumor necrosis factor‐α, and macrophage chemotactic protein‐1; however, the role of IL‐18 seems to be more specific than other cytokines in the inflammatory process. IL‐18 is expressed in renal tissue and is upregulated by several stimuli including hyperglycemia. The expression/urinary level of IL‐18 is positively correlated with the progression of diabetic nephropathy and the urinary albumin excretion rate. In this review, we have focused on the molecular pathways modulating the relationship between IL‐18 and diabetic nephropathy.