Integrated therapies further enhance DKD management: Early-stage DKD patients benefit from combined angiotensin system inhibitors (ACEI/ARB), SGLT2 inhibitors (e.g., dapagliflozin), and TCM formulas (e.g., Tang Shen Fang), which synergistically reduce proteinuria, improve metabolic profiles, and restore gut microbiota homeostasis (160). This evidence concerns the gene SLC5A2 and diabetic kidney disease.