HMGB1 and chronic kidney disease: The serum HMGB1 levels in the population with DKD was significantly higher than that in the population with long-term diabetes but without CKD or in healthy control people without diabetes (52.03 ± 28.45 v.s. 19.87 ± 12.82 and 19.81 ± 10.01) (Figure 2A).