It is a progressive and irreversible kidney disease that is characterized by initial hyperfiltration, albuminuria, expansion of mesangial matrix, interstitial fibrosis, thickening of basement membranes, and renal cell damage. DN affects 20% to 30% of the diabetic patients (1).
Many pathways that involved in DN have been postulated such as hyperglycemia, oxidative stress (OS) and activation of protein kinase C (PKC) (2-4) (Table 1). The up-regulation of the receptors for AGE (RAGE) has been implicated as a major mediator in the development and progression of DN. Renal fibrosis characterized by accumulation of extracellular matrix protein results in CKD including DN. It was found that transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) signaling pathway plays a key role in mediating renal fibrosis. Therefore, agents that antagonize TGF-β signaling might be useful for kidney disease