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Review
. 2025 Jun 24;17(1):242.
doi: 10.1186/s13098-025-01783-9.

The role of myocardial fibrosis in the diabetic cardiomyopathy

Jinghui Sun  1 , Ruiling Zhou  2 , Mi Liu  2 , Dawu Zhang  3
Affiliations
Review

The role of myocardial fibrosis in the diabetic cardiomyopathy

Jinghui Sun et al. Diabetol Metab Syndr. .

Abstract

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), a main cardiovascular complication of diabetes mellitus, can eventually develop into heart failure and seriously affect the prognosis of diabetic patients. Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is the main factor causing ventricular wall stiffness and heart failure in DCM. Early control of MF in DCM is of great significance to prevent or postpone the progression of DCM to heart failure. In this review, we systematically analyzed the relevant studies on diabetic MF in recent years, explored the formation mechanism of MF in the pathological process of DCM, and summarized and analyzed in detail the current studies with antifibrotic treatment for DCM, so as to provide guidance for the development of prevention and treatment strategies for MF in DCM.

Keywords: Cardiovascular complication; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic cardiomyopathy; Heart failure; Myocardial fibrosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: All the authors agreed to publish the paper. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The molecular mechanism of MF in DCM
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Drugs for the prevention and treatment of DCM by regulating TGF-β signaling pathway to inhibit MF
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Drugs for the prevention and treatment of DCM by regulating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses to inhibit MF
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Drugs for the prevention and treatment of DCM by regulating other mechanisms to inhibit MF
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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