Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is an important diabetic microvascular complication, which has become the main cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) all over the world. It is of great significance to find effective therapeutic targets and improve the prognosis of the disease. Traditionally, it is believed that the activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) is the main reason for the progression of DKD, but with the progress of research, it is known that the production of proteinuria in patients with DKD is also related to podocyte injury and loss. Many studies have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction in podocytes plays an important role in the occurrence and development of DKD, and oxidative stress is also the main pathway and common hub of diabetes to the occurrence and development of microvascular and macrovascular complications. Thus, the occurrence and progression of DKD is correlated with not only the activation of the RAAS, but also the damage of mitochondria, oxidative stress, and inflammatory mediators. Besides, diabetes-related metabolic disorders can also cause abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics, autophagy and cellular signal transduction, which are intertwined in a complex way. Therefore, in this review, we mainly explore the mechanism and the latest research progress of podocyte mitochondria in DKD and summarize the main signal pathways involved in them. Thus, it provides feasible clinical application and future research suggestions for the prevention and treatment of DKD, which has important practical significance for the later treatment of patients with DKD.

糖尿病肾病（DKD）是重要的糖尿病微血管并发症，已成为全世界终末期肾病（ESRD）的主要原因。寻找有效的治疗靶点并改善疾病的预后具有重要意义。传统上认为，肾素-血管紧张素-醛固酮系统（RAAS）的激活是DKD进展的主要原因，但是随着研究的进展，已知DKD患者中蛋白尿的产生也是与足细胞损伤和丢失有关。许多研究表明，足细胞中的线粒体功能障碍在DKD的发生和发展中起着重要作用，氧化应激也是糖尿病发生和发展微血管和大血管并发症的主要途径和常见枢纽。因此，DKD的发生和发展不仅与RAAS的激活有关，而且与线粒体的损​​伤，氧化应激和炎症介质有关。此外，与糖尿病有关的代谢紊乱还可能导致线粒体动力学，自噬和细胞信号转导异常，这些异常复杂地交织在一起。因此，在本文中，我们主要探讨了DKD足细胞线粒体的作用机理和最新研究进展，并总结了其中涉及的主要信号途径。因此，它为DKD的预防和治疗提供了可行的临床应用和未来的研究建议，