NFKB1 and diabetic kidney disease: As a result, the body’s oxidant-antioxidant balance is impaired, resulting in cascade reactions involved in multiple downstream pathways (e.g., P13K/AKT, TGF-β1/p38-MAPK, and NF-κB) that lead to inflammation, fibrosis and apoptosis, eventually exacerbating the progression of DKD.