AKT1 and diabetic kidney disease: Using a mouse model of STZ-induced DKD, Wang et al. have demonstrated that phillyrin (a major active component of Forsythia suspensa) inhibited glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, reduced the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm, subsequently inhibited the activation of caspase-3 and ultimately suppressed renal cell apoptosis [232].