{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T15:40:36Z","timestamp":1789400436447,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]],"date-time":"2026-06-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780531200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research of Major Diseases Platform"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease with limited therapeutic options. Ferroptosis contributes to renal tubular injury in DN. This study investigates whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ameliorate DN by inhibiting ferroptosis and elucidates the underlying mechanism. In a rat model of type 2 DN, MSCs transplantation improved renal function and histopathology, while reducing mitochondrial dysfunction, iron overload, and ROS-driven ferroptosis. In vitro, MSCs reversed high glucose-induced ferroptosis hallmarks in tubular epithelial cells. Mechanistically, RNA sequencing identified the MAPK\/ERK pathway as key. MSCs suppressed the p-ERK\/ERK-GPX4\/ACSL4 axis, preventing glutathione depletion and lipid peroxidation. Activation of ERK abolished MSCs\u2019 protection, whereas ERK inhibition mimicked it. These findings reveal that targeting ERK-mediated ferroptosis in renal tubules offers a novel therapeutic strategy, with MSCs acting through this specific mechanism.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27115101","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T01:23:21Z","timestamp":1780622601000},"page":"5101","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuate Diabetic Nephropathy by Suppressing the ERK-Ferroptosis-ROS Axis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Shuaijing","family":"Ma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Cell-Based Medical Engineering for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Clinical Translation (BZ-2025-119), Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases, Beijing 100005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qin","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Cell-Based Medical Engineering for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Clinical Translation (BZ-2025-119), Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases, Beijing 100005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jing","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Cell-Based Medical Engineering for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Clinical Translation (BZ-2025-119), Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases, Beijing 100005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haiyan","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Cell-Based Medical Engineering for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Clinical Translation (BZ-2025-119), Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases, Beijing 100005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiming","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Cell-Based Medical Engineering for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Clinical Translation (BZ-2025-119), Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases, Beijing 100005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9536-287X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xueyuan","family":"Bai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Senior Department of Nephrology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Diseases, Beijing 100853, China"},{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Medical Devices and Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Drug Development for Severe Kidney Diseases, Beijing 100853, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert Chunhua","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Cell-Based Medical Engineering for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Clinical Translation (BZ-2025-119), Beijing 100005, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases, Beijing 100005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"International Diabetes Federation (2025). 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