High Glucose Promotes CD36 Expression by Upregulating Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Levels to Exacerbate Lipid Deposition in Renal Tubular Cells

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) appears to be closely related to lipid deposition in kidney. The aim of this study was to determine whether high glucose (HG) exacerbated lipid deposition by increasing CD36 expression via AKT-PPAR gamma signaling pathway. Our results showed that HG activated AKT signaling pathway, followed by an increase in PPAR gamma that induced CD36 overexpression, ultimately causing lipid deposition in HK-2 cells. We also found that inhibition of AKT-PPAR gamma signaling pathway or knockdown of CD36 could reduce HG-induced lipid accumulation in HK-2 cells. These results indicated that AKT-PPAR gamma signaling pathway mediated HG-induced lipid deposition by upregulating CD36 expression in HK-2 cells and that inhibition of AKT-PPAR gamma signaling pathway had the potential beneficial effects of reducing lipid deposition in diabetic kidney.