Angiotensin II Antagonism of TGF-Beta 1

Diabetic nephropathy is a frequent microvascular complication that occurs in approximately 40% of patients with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States and in the developed world is diabetic nephropathy. Currently, more than half the United States ESRD population has diabetes. More effective therapies to prevent and treat diabetic nephropathy are urgently needed. One way to increase therapeutic effectiveness is to refine treatment targets based on improved understanding of how treatments modulate disease processes. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a treatment for diabetic nephropathy, the angiotensin receptor blocker candesartan, modifies mediators of kidney injury independent of blood pressure and the relationships to drug dose.