Immunometabolic Reprogramming in Diabetic Kidney Disease: The Interplay of Innate Immunity, Oxidative Stress, and Cellular Metabolism

Dear Colleagues,

Kidney disorders, particularly diabetic kidney disease (DKD), represent a growing global health burden, driven by complex interplays among metabolic dysregulation, innate immune activation, and oxidative stress. A deeper understanding of the immunometabolic reprogramming underlying these processes is essential for identifying early biomarkers and developing targeted therapies.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue titled “Immunometabolic Reprogramming in Diabetic Kidney Disease: The Interplay of Innate Immunity, Oxidative Stress, and Cellular Metabolism”, which aims to explore how aberrant cellular metabolism intersects with immune and oxidative pathways to promote renal injury and fibrosis.

This Special Issue seeks original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that elucidate the signaling pathways, gene regulatory networks, and cellular interactions governing immunometabolic crosstalk in DKD. Topics of interest include mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic reprogramming in renal and immune cells, inflammasome activation (e.g., NLRP3), redox imbalance, and the role of innate immunity in driving inflammation and fibrosis. We especially welcome studies employing innovative approaches such as single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, organoid models, CRISPR-based screening, and multi-omics integration to unravel novel mechanistic insights.

By gathering multidisciplinary research, this Issue aims to advance our understanding of how immunometabolic axes contribute to DKD pathogenesis and to inspire innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Metabolic reprogramming in diabetic kidney injury and repair;
• Innate immune signaling (e.g., TLRs, inflammasomes) in DKD; 
• Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in renal cells; 
• Epigenetic and non-coding RNA-mediated regulation of immunometabolic pathways; 
• Podocyte and tubulointerstitial metabolic adaptation in diabetes; 
• Inflammatory-fibrotic crosstalk driven by immunometabolic perturbations; 
• Novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets derived from immunometabolic studies; 
• Application of multi-omics and systems biology in DKD mechanism research; 
• Advanced model systems (e.g., organoids, spatial transcriptomics) for studying DKD. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Nela Kelam
Dr. Sandra Kostić
Dr. Anita Racetin
Guest Editors

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