International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Molecular Research on Kidney Disease/Renal Dysfunction

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Kidney plays a main role for the regulation of body fluid homeostasis including the adaptation to hypoxia and anemia. Diabetic nephropathy is the most common causative disease of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic renal failure (CRF). Erythropoiesis-stimulating Agents (ESAs) and hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PHD) inhibitors largely changed the treatment of renal anemia. Recently sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been known to improve renal anemia and renal dysfunction. Our special issue would like to focus on the developments and current status of the diagnosis and treatments of various renal diseases.

Dr. Hiroshi Nonoguchi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.

Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.

Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.

External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.

Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 613 KB

Open AccessArticle

Real-World Impact of Finerenone on Albuminuria in Patients with Diabetes and CKD

by Marina López-Martínez, Juan León-Román, Ehimy Suárez, Sara Nuñez-Delgado, María Antonieta Azancot, Jorge Iván Zamora-Carrillo, Marc Patricio-Liébana, Alexander Sánchez Olaya, Irene Agraz, Sheila Bermejo, Laia Sans, Nestor Toapanta, Natalia Ramos and María José Soler

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(23), 11584; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311584 - 29 Nov 2025

Viewed by 716

Abstract

Patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD-DM) often have residual albuminuria despite pharmacological treatment. Finerenone targets mineralocorticoid overactivation, but real-world evidence remains limited. This study evaluated the impact of finerenone in a cohort of patients with CKD-DM. This was a real-life study including patients with CKD-DM and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 20 mL/min/1.73 m², treated with finerenone, aged ≥ 18 years, and followed at the Nephrology Department of Vall d’Hebron Hospital. Clinical and laboratory data were collected at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months of treatment. Changes in albuminuria and eGFR were analyzed in patients who completed 6 months of follow-up. A total of 60 patients were included in the analysis; 39 (65%) were male, with a median age of 79 ± 10.12 years. Finerenone was initiated at 10 mg daily in 57 patients (95%), with 38.3% escalating to 20 mg after 1 month. After 6 months, the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) decreased by 37.1% (p = 0.012, n = 34). Patients with an initial eGFR drop > 20% showed a greater UACR decrease of around 43% at 3 (p = 0.012) and 6 months (p = 0.013). A significant 9.5% decline in eGFR was observed at 1 month, followed by stabilization at 3 and 6 months. Finerenone was discontinued in 10% of the patients due to adverse events. Hyperkalemia occurred in 18.3% of the patients, but no hospitalizations for adverse events or heart failure were reported. In summary, finerenone induced a significant 37.1% reduction in albuminuria after 6 months of treatment. This reduction was more pronounced in patients who experienced an initial eGFR dip ≥ 20%. Finerenone was generally well tolerated and appears to be a promising therapeutic strategy for reducing albuminuria in this population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research on Kidney Disease/Renal Dysfunction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 1203 KB

Open AccessArticle

Renoprotective Effects of Daprodustat in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease and Renal Anemia

by Yoshitaka Shimada, Yuichiro Izumi, Yukiko Yasuoka, Tomomi Oshima, Yasushi Nagaba, Masayoshi Nanami, Jeff M. Sands, Noriko Takahashi, Katsumasa Kawahara and Hiroshi Nonoguchi

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(17), 9468; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179468 - 30 Aug 2024

Viewed by 2135

Abstract

Many large-scale studies revealed that exogenous erythropoietin, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, have no renoprotective effects. We reported the renoprotective effects of endogenous erythropoietin production on renal function in ischemic reperfusion injury (IRI) of the kidney using the prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD) inhibitor, Roxadustat. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of daprodustat on the progression of chronic renal failure. We retrospectively investigated the effects of daprodustat on the progression of chronic renal failure and renal anemia in patients with stages 3a-5 chronic kidney diseases (estimated glomerular filtration rate, eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m²). The results show that daprodustat largely slowed the reduction in eGFR. The recovery of renal function was observed in some patients. Daprodustat is useful not only for renal anemia but also for the preservation of renal function. The renoprotective effect of daprodustat was small in patients with serum creatinine larger than 3–4 mg/dL because of low residual renal function. The appearance of renal anemia would be a sign of the time to start using daprodustat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research on Kidney Disease/Renal Dysfunction)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Molecular Research on Kidney Disease/Renal Dysfunction

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI