Fig. 1

Rationale for the PROCEED trial. Endothelial dysfunction is closely associated with T2D and CKD and forms a pathological triangle. The objective of our trial is to test the hypothesis that SGLT2-mediated inhibition breaks this triangle by ameliorating endothelial dysfunction. Another aim is to elucidate the mechanisms by which SGLT2 inhibitors confer cardiovascular and renal benefits in patients with T2D and CKD. CKD: chronic kidney disease; SGLT2: sodium-glucose cotransporter 2; T2D: type 2 diabetes