Toward better renoprotection: lessons from angiotensin receptor blockers

The rising tide of chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially diabetic nephropathy, has become a worldwide catastrophe. However, therapeutic options to prevent or retard the progression of CKD still remain very limited. The understanding of its molecular mechanisms and the delineation of tools able to modify them are thus of critical importance. The discovery that some antihypertensive agents inhibiting the renin-angiotensin system, such as angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers, protect the kidney opens new therapeutic perspectives. In this article, we focus on their renoprotective actions beyond blood pressure lowering.