Abstract: Diabetic nephropathy(DN) is the main microvascular complication of diabetes and the primary cause of many endstage renal disease,increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease at the same time.The pathogenesis is quite complex,and the main pathological changes are extracellular matrix deposition,glomerular basement membrane thickening,glomerular and mesangial dilatation,and fibrosis.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) therapy is a promising treatment for DN.In addition to its multidifferentiation potential and selfrenewal ability,the paracrine function is very important.This article reviews the potential of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of DN,mainly for the mechanism of paracrine trophic factors and extracellular vesicles of mesenchymal stem cells.Discussion on the mechanism of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of DN may provide a new therapeutic strategy for the clinical treatment of the disease