The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has one of the highest diabetic prevalence rates in the world. By 2020, 30% of the UAE’s adult population will be diabetic. Furthermore, up to 40% of people with diabetes develop diabetic nephropathy, which generally progresses to end-stage renal failure. Existing clinical strategies are incapable of stopping this progression. Thus, once renal injuries progress to complete kidney failure, the only form of definitive treatment is transplantation. However, the demand for kidneys greatly outmatches the supply. This substantial public health problem has prompted the need for safe, effective, and novel interventions to treat/prevent such downstream diabetic pathologies. Recent evidence suggests that proximal tubule cellular damage is a significant contributor to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Emerging evidence supports a potential therapeutic role of relaxin in fibrotic diseases, including chronic kidney disease that can result from diabetic nephropathy. Another promising finding illustrates that the administration of recombinant relaxin can help prevent renal fibrosis.
