2023). In individuals with T2DM and albuminuria, four metabolites of the TMAO pathway serve as risk markers for the deterioration of renal function (Winther et al. 2021). TMAO promotes DKD by facilitating inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis (Yang et al. 2021). Rats with diet-induced DKD (high-fat diet/low-dose streptozotocin) exhibited higher TMAO levels than normal rats, and TMAO treatment exacerbated kidney dysfunction and renal fibrosis by activating NLRP3 (Fang et al. 2021). The gene discussed is NLRP3; the disease is renal fibrosis.