CCN2 and diabetic kidney disease: Regarding preclinical studies, several approaches using IL-17A-deficient mice or neutralizing anti-IL-17A antibodies demonstrated protective effects in experimental renal diseases, including unilateral ureteral obstruction [105], connective tissue growth factor (CTGF)-induced renal damage [106], angiotensin II-induced hypertensive nephropathy [61], and diabetic nephropathy [96,98].