Peptide activator of ACE-2 for kidney diseases and inflammation

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus continues to increase in both Australia and worldwide and it remains the number one cause of chronic kidney disease.  There are currently no treatments for diabetes induced kidney fibrosis and current treatments for diabetic nephropathy only slow down the disease progression, with the patients still progressing to end-stage renal disease and requiring renal replacement therapy.

University of Queensland researchers have developed a 10 amino acid ACE-2 stimulator peptide derived from snake venom useful for the treatment of kidney diseases and inflammation.  Preliminary data demonstrated that the lead peptide 2A has strong anti-inflammatory effects and prevents the expression of markers of fibrosis and inflammation in culture cells.  2A also attenuated kidney fibrosis and inflammation in diabetic mouse models and reduced blood glucose levels without any effect on body weight.