title: Pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy: focus on transforming growth factor-beta and connective tissue growth factor.
abstract: Although considerable improvement in the prognosis of diabetic nephropathy has been achieved in recent years due to intensive insulin and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor treatment, these approaches do not provide complete protection against progression of diabetic nephropathy. An urgent need for additional novel therapies to prevent or further slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy motivated us to provide an up-to-date review with particular emphasis on the potential role of two growth factors--transforming growth factor-beta and connective tissue growth factor--in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. The most intensively studied to date, transforming growth factor-beta appears to play a central role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Recently, attention has focused on connective tissue growth factor, which mimics the biological activity of transforming growth factor-beta in profibrotic tissue formation. Thus, acting as a downstream mediator of the profibrotic activity of transforming growth factor-beta, connective tissue growth factor may constitute a more specific target for future antifibrotic therapies.
authors.affiliation: Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. osakharova@srhs.org
authors.forename: O V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Sakharova
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Taal
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Brenner
mesh_terms: D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000209:etiology*; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C526317:CCN2 protein, human; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006133:Growth Substances; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor