In diabetic nephropathy (DN), glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) and podocytes undergo pathological alterations, which are influenced by metabolic changes characteristic of diabetes, including hyperglycaemia (HG) and elevated methylglyoxal (MGO) levels. However, it remains insufficiently understood what effects these metabolic factors have on GEC and podocytes and to what extent the interactions between the two cell types can modulate these effects. To address these questions, we established …