Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is a common complication that is associated with diabetic patients. It affects almost half of diabetic patients worldwide. Peripheral DN is associated with neurodegeneration as evidenced by the degenerative loss of fibres in the peripheral nerves with concomitant decrease of nerve conduction Multiple mechanisms were proposed to have role in the pathophysiology of DN including oxidative stress, inflammation and recently autophagy. Autophagy is a cellular process that is present from yeast to mammals for the sake of recycle damaged organelles and protein in autophagosomes. Persistent hyperglycaemia causes an imbalance in the cellular autophagic pathways. Autophagy plays an important role in reserving the cellular homeostasis via its ability to recycle the damaged proteins and organelles. The link between the activation of autophagic flux with the control of the toxic effect of hyperglycaemia on the neuronal cells will be discussed in this review. The present review hypothesizes that upregulation of the autophagic pathways in neuronal cells may aid them to ameliorate the bioenergetic crisis and cellular damage concomitant with DN.