Diabetes mellitus, one of the fastest growing metabolic disorders in the world, contributes to about 3.2 million diabetes-related deaths annually.1, 2 Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease and cardiovascular events.3, 4 In the past decades, although the first-line therapy such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers can slow but cannot stop the progression of DN, which urgently calls for innovative therapeutic strategies.5, 6. Here, ACE is linked to diabetes mellitus.