Glycolysis and the Kidney: Mechanistic Insights, Disease Trajectories and Therapeutic Horizons
A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Endocrinology and Clinical Metabolic Research".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 291
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Glycolysis, in parallel with oxidative phosphorylation, is a cornerstone of cellular energy production and a key regulator of kidney physiology and disease. Under stress, glycolytic reprogramming influences far more than bioenergetics—it shapes redox balance, mitochondrial function, and immune responses. Lactate, once considered a waste product, is now recognized as a signaling molecule and epigenetic regulator through histone and non-histone lactylation. At the same time, other glycolytic intermediates, including pyruvate, glucose-6-phosphate, and 3-phosphoglycerate, participate in biosynthetic pathways and serve as metabolic signals that integrate cellular stress responses. Together, these metabolites position glycolysis as a central hub, linking energy metabolism to gene regulation and disease progression.
Across acute kidney injury, diabetic and hypertensive nephropathy, genetic disorders, and glomerular disease, dysregulated glycolysis contributes to maladaptive cellular responses, inflammation, and fibrosis. Emerging technologies—such as metabolomics, single-cell profiling, and spatial biology—have revealed cell type-specific glycolytic programs in tubular epithelia, podocytes, and endothelial and immune cells, providing new insight into disease trajectories and therapeutic opportunities.
This Special Issue of Metabolites invites original research and reviews exploring glycolysis in kidney health and disease, with emphasis on mechanistic insights, epigenetic crosstalk, and translational potential.
The scope and topics of interest include
- Glycolytic flux and regulation in kidney physiology and pathology;
- Crosstalk among glycolysis, mitochondrial metabolism, and systemic metabolic networks;
- Roles of lactate and other glycolytic intermediates in signaling, biosynthesis, and epigenetic control;
- Spatial and single-cell approaches in dissecting glycolytic heterogeneity in the kidney;
- Translational opportunities: pharmacologic modulation of glycolysis and precision metabolic therapies.
Dr. Pinelopi Kapitsinou
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- glycolysis
- kidney physiology and pathology
- mitochondrial metabolism
- therapies
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