Haris K, Long I. Role of astrocytes in diabetic neuropathy: Review of their involvement in disease mechanisms. World J Diabetes 2025; 16(10): 108714 [PMID: 41113489 DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i10.108714]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Idris Long, Associate Professor, Biomedicine Programme, School of Health Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia. idriskk@usm.my
Research Domain of This Article
Neurosciences
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Review
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Oct 15, 2025 (publication date) through Oct 22, 2025
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Publication Name
World Journal of Diabetes
ISSN
1948-9358
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Haris K, Long I. Role of astrocytes in diabetic neuropathy: Review of their involvement in disease mechanisms. World J Diabetes 2025; 16(10): 108714 [PMID: 41113489 DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i10.108714]
World J Diabetes. Oct 15, 2025; 16(10): 108714 Published online Oct 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i10.108714
Role of astrocytes in diabetic neuropathy: Review of their involvement in disease mechanisms
Khalilah Haris, Idris Long
Khalilah Haris, Idris Long, Biomedicine Programme, School of Health Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Co-first authors: Khalilah Haris and Idris Long.
Author contributions: Haris K wrote the manuscript; Long I conceived the study and contributed to the writing and review of the manuscript. Haris K and Long I contributed equally to this study as co-first authors.
Supported by the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme of the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, No. FRGS/1/2024/SKK10/USM/02/8.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest concerning the research, authorship, and publication of this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Idris Long, Associate Professor, Biomedicine Programme, School of Health Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia. idriskk@usm.my
Received: April 22, 2025 Revised: July 4, 2025 Accepted: September 1, 2025 Published online: October 15, 2025 Processing time: 177 Days and 3.7 Hours
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications continue to impose a substantial burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is one of the most common chronic microvascular and neurodegenerative complications of DM. It is clinically characterized by allodynia, hyperalgesia, and abnormal or absent nerve fiber sensation, which collectively contribute to poor quality of life, sleep disturbances, depression, and increased mortality. Although several pharmacological agents are available to alleviate DN-related symptoms, their limited long-term efficacy and adverse side effects underscore the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. This limitation may be attributed to an incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms of DN. Accumulating evidence has highlighted the contribution of glial cells including astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes to the pathogenesis of DN. However, the specific role of astrocytes remains insufficiently defined. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive evaluation of current knowledge regarding astrocyte involvement in DN mechanisms, with the goal of clarifying their contribution to disease progression and identifying potential therapeutic targets.
Core Tip: This paper critically reviews the role of astrocytes in the mechanism of diabetic neuropathy (DN). We discuss the signaling pathways, protein kinases, receptors, and mediators that are involved in the pathophysiology of DN. We also explore research that focuses on astrocyte activation as a potential treatment for DN.
