WGN treats DKD by in mitigating tubulointerstitial fibrosis and renal tubular cell injury via regulating PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway-mediated autophagy and inflammation (Lei et al., 2021), glomerulopathy and podocyte injury by regulating Bcl-2-mediated crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis (Liu et al., 2022). Here, VCAN is linked to diabetic kidney disease.