Abstract:Diabetic kidney disease（DKD），one of the most severe microvascular complications of diabetes，has become the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease in China. Branched-chain amino acid（BCAA），essential amino acid in humans，constitutes an important part of amino acid metabolism. Accumulating evidence indicates that abnormal BCAA metabolism plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of DKD and is closely related to the injury of glomerular podocytes and renal tubular epithelial cells，whereas the relevant pathogenic mechanisms have not been systematically summarized. This review elaborates on BCAA metabolic pathways and the mechanisms by which disturbed BCAA metabolism induces renal damage in DKD，and discusses the therapeutic potential of BCAA and their key metabolic enzymes as intervention targets，so as to provide novel ideas for clinical treatment of DKD.