Prior studies suggested that lncRNA MALAT1 was raised in the retinas of STZ‐induced diabetic rats, blockade of which alleviated retinal inflammation via reducing expression of ICAM, VEGF and TNF‐α 9; misregulation of VEGF was often observed in clinical or experimental diabetic nephropathy, involved in matrix accumulation and haemodynamic changes 28, 47. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and diabetic kidney disease.