Heterogeneity in cardiorenal protection by Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in heart failure across the ejection fraction strata:Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Gliflozins or Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors(SGLT2i)are relatively novel antidiabetic medications that have recently been shown to represent favorable effects on patients’cardiorenal outcomes.However,there is shortage of data on potential disparities in this therapeutic effect across different patient subpopulations.AIM To investigate differential effects of SGLT2i on the cardiorenal outcomes of heart failure patients across left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)levels.METHODS Literature was searched systematically for the large randomized double-blind controlled trials with long enough follow up periods reporting cardiovascular and renal outcomes in their patients regarding heart failure status and LVEF levels.Data were then meta-analyzed after stratification of the pooled data across the LVEF strata and New York Heart Associations(NYHA)classifications for heart failure using Stata software version 17.0.RESULTS The literature search returned 13 Large clinical trials and 13 post hoc analysis reports.Meta-analysis of the effects of gliflozins on the primary composite outcome showed no significant difference in efficacy across the heart failure subtypes,but higher efficacy were detected in patient groups at lower NYHA classifications(I2=46%,P=0.02).Meta-analyses across the LVEF stratums revealed that a baseline LVEF lower than 30%was associated with enhanced improvement in the primary composite outcome compared to patients with higher LVEF levels at the borderline statistical significance(HR:0.70,95%CI:0.60 to 0.79 vs 0.81,95%CI:0.75 to 0.87;respectively,P=0.06).Composite renal outcome was improved significantly higher in patients with no heart failure than in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction(HFpEF)(HR:0.60,95%CI:0.49 to 0.72 vs 0.94,95%CI:0.74 to 1.13;P=0.04).Acute renal injury occurred significantly less frequently in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction who received gliflozins than in HFpEF(HR:0.67,95%CI:51 to 0.82 vs 0.94,95%CI:0.82 to 1.06;P=0.01).Volume depletion was consistently increased in response to SGLT2i in all the subgroups.CONCLUSION Heart failure patients with lower LVEF and lower NYHA sub-classifications were found to be generally more likely to benefit from therapy with gliflozins.Further research are required to identify patient subgroups representing the highest benefits or adverse events in response to SGLT2i.

Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors:New horizon of the heart failure pharmacotherapy

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2(SGLT2)inhibitors have gained momentum as the latest class of antidiabetic agents for improving glycemic control.Large-scale clinical trials have reported that SGLT2 inhibitors reduced cardiovascular outcomes,especially hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have high risks of cardiovascular disease.Accumulating evidence has indicated that beneficial effects can be observed regardless of the presence or absence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Accordingly,the Food and Drug Administration approved these agents specifically for treating patients with heart failure and a reduced ejection fraction.It has been concluded that canagliflozin,dapagliflozin,empagliflozin,or ertugliflozin can be recommended for preventing hospitalization associated with heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease or those at high cardiovascular risk.In the present review,we explore the available evidence on SGLT2 inhibitors in terms of the cardioprotective effects,potential mechanisms,and ongoing clinical trials that may further clarify the cardiovascular effects of the agents.

Metabolic disorders in prediabetes:From mechanisms to therapeutic management

Diabetes,one of the world's top ten diseases,is known for its high mortality and complication rates and low cure rate.Prediabetes precedes the onset of diabetes,during which effective treatment can reduce diabetes risk.Prediabetes risk factors include high-calorie and high-fat diets,sedentary lifestyles,and stress.Consequences may include considerable damage to vital organs,including the retina,liver,and kidneys.Interventions for treating prediabetes include a healthy lifestyle diet and pharmacological treatments.However,while these options are effective in the short term,they may fail due to the difficulty of long-term implementation.Medications may also be used to treat prediabetes.This review examines prediabetic treatments,particularly metformin,glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists,sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors,vitamin D,and herbal medicines.Given the remarkable impact of prediabetes on the progression of diabetes mellitus,it is crucial to intervene promptly and effectively to regulate prediabetes.However,the current body of research on prediabetes is limited,and there is considerable confusion surrounding clinically relevant medications.This paper aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the pathogenesis of prediabetes mellitus and its associated therapeutic drugs.The ultimate goal is to facilitate the clinical utilization of medications and achieve efficient and timely control of diabetes mellitus.

Hyperglycemia in acute ischemic stroke: physiopathological and therapeutic complexity

Diabetes mellitus and associated chronic hyperglycemia enhance the risk of acute ischemic stroke and lead to worsened clinical outcome and increased mortality. However, post-stroke hyperglycemia is also present in a number of non-diabetic patients after acute ischemic stroke, presumably as a stress response. The aim of this review is to summarize the main effects of hyperglycemia when associated to ischemic injury in acute stroke patients, highlighting the clinical and neurological outcomes in these conditions and after the administration of the currently approved pharmacological treatment, i.e. insulin. The disappointing results of the clinical trials on insulin(including the hypoglycemic events) demand a change of strategy based on more focused therapies. Starting from the comprehensive evaluation of the physiopathological alterations occurring in the ischemic brain during hyperglycemic conditions, the effects of various classes of glucose-lowering drugs are reviewed, such as glucose-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, in the perspective of overcoming the up-to-date limitations and of evaluating the effectiveness of new potential therapeutic strategies.

Absence of Na^+/sugar cotransport activity in Barrett's metaplasia

AIM:To evaluate the presence of Na+-dependent, active, sugar transport in Barrett's epithelia as an intestinal biomarker, based on the well-documented, morphological intestinal phenotype of Barrett's esophagus (BE). METHODS: We examined uptake of the nonmeta- bolizable glucose analogue, alpha-methyl-D-glucoside (AMG), a substrate for the entire sodium glucose cotransporter (SGLT) family of transport proteins. During upper endoscopy, patients with BE or with uncomplicated gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) allowed for duodenal, gastric fundic, and esophageal mucosal biopsies to be taken. Biopsies were incubated in bicarbonate-buffered saline (KRB) containing 0.1 mmol/L 14C-AMG for 60 min at 20℃. Characterized by abundant SGLT, duodenum served as a positive control while gastric fundus and normal esophagus, known to lack SGLT, served as negative controls. RESULTS: Duodenal biopsies accumulated 249.84 ± 35.49 (SEM) picomoles AMG/μg DNA (n = 12), gastric fundus biopsies 36.20 ± 6.62 (n = 12), normal esophagus 12.10 ± 0.59 (n = 3) and Barrett's metaplasia 29.79 ± 5.77 (n = 8). There was a statistical difference (P < 0.01) between biopsies from duodenum and each other biopsy site but there was no statistically significant difference between normal esophagus and BE biopsies. 0.5 mmol/L phlorizin (PZ) inhibited AMG uptake into duodenal mucosa by over 89%, but had nosignificant effect on AMG uptake into gastric fundus, normal esophagus, or Barrett's tissue. In the absence of Na+ (all Na+ salts replaced by Li+ salts), AMG uptake in duodenum was decreased by over 90%, while uptake into gastric, esophageal or Barrett's tissue was statistically unaffected. CONCLUSION: Despite the intestinal enterocyte phenotype of BE, Na+-dependent, sugar transport activity is not present in these cells.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,diabetes medications and blood pressure

New glucose-lowering agents reduce liver enzyme levels and blood pressure(BP).Whether this finding can be extended to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)patients,in whom a bidirectional association of NAFLD measures and BP has been also demonstrated,remains by and large unknown.

Ipragliflozin-induced improvement of liver steatosis in obese mice may involve sirtuin signaling

BACKGROUND Sodium glucose cotransporter 2(SGLT2)inhibitors are newly developed oral antidiabetic drugs.SGLT2 is primarily expressed in the kidneys and reabsorbs approximately 90%of the glucose filtered by the renal glomeruli.SGLT2 inhibitors lower glucose levels independently of insulin action by facilitating urinary glucose excretion.The SGLT2 inhibitor ipragliflozin has reportedly improved liver steatosis in animal models and clinical studies.However,the mechanisms by which SGLT2 inhibitors improve liver steatosis are not fully understood.AIM To investigate the ameliorative effects of ipragliflozin on liver steatosis and the mechanisms of these effects in obese mice.METHODS We analyzed 8-wk-old male obese(ob/ob)mice that were randomly divided into a group receiving a normal chow diet and a group receiving a normal chow diet supplemented with ipragliflozin(3 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg)for 4 wk.We also analyzed their lean sex-matched littermates receiving a normal chow diet as another control group. Body weight and liver weight were evaluated, and liverhistology, immunoblotting, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactionanalyses were performed.RESULTSHepatic lipid accumulation was significantly ameliorated in ob/ob mice treatedwith 10 mg/kg ipragliflozin compared to untreated ob/ob mice irrespective ofbody weight changes. Ipragliflozin had no appreciable effects on hepatic oxidativestress-related gene expression levels or macrophage infiltration, but significantlyreduced hepatic interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mRNA expression levels. Ipragliflozinincreased both the mRNA and protein expression levels of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in theliver. The hepatic mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γcoactivator 1α (PGC-1α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα),and fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) were also significantly higher inipragliflozin-treated ob/ob mice than in untreated ob/ob mice.CONCLUSIONOur study suggests that the liver steatosis-ameliorating effects of ipragliflozin inob/ob mice may be mediated partly by hepatic SIRT1 signaling, possibly throughthe PGC-1α/PPARα-FGF21 pathway.

Post-transplant diabetes mellitus and preexisting liver disease-a bidirectional relationship affecting treatment and management

Liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus(DM)are both common conditions with significant socioeconomic burden and impact on morbidity and mortality.A bidirectional relationship exists between DM and liver cirrhosis regarding both etiology and disease-related complications.Type 2 DM(T2DM)is a wellrecognized risk factor for chronic liver disease and vice-versa,DM may develop as a complication of cirrhosis,irrespective of its etiology.Liver transplantation(LT)represents an important treatment option for patients with end-stage liver disease due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),which represents a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and a common complication of T2DM.The metabolic risk factors including immunosuppressive drugs,can contribute to persistent or de novo development of DM and NAFLD after LT.T2DM,obesity,cardiovascular morbidities and renal impairment,frequently associated with metabolic syndrome and NAFLD,may have negative impact on short and long-term outcomes following LT.The treatment of DM in the context of chronic liver disease and post-transplant is challenging,but new emerging therapies such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists(GLP-1RAs)and sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors(SGLT2i)targeting multiple mechanisms in the shared pathophysiology of disorders such as oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are a promising tool in future patient management.

Emerging Treatment Approaches to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure

Heart failure(HF)is a major public health problem around the world.Although currently available therapies have improved outcomes,morbidity and mortality in patients with HF remain unacceptably high.Most guideline-recommended therapies for HF are indicated for patients with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction(HFrEF).Until recently,treatment options that improved outcomes in patients with HF and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction or mildly reduced ejection fraction were limited.Over the past several years,however,several new drugs including angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors(ARNIs),sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors(SGLT2 inhibitors),soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators,and a cardiac myotrope,omecamtiv mecarbil have all reported positive results in pivotal phase III clinical trials.Moreover,the results of these studies have provided evidence that both ARNIs and SGLT2 inhibitors can improve clinical outcomes in patients with HF across a broad spectrum of LVEF,not just in HFrEF.This article presents the rationale for the use of each of these 4 new classes of drugs,reviews the results from pivotal clinical trials showing their safety and efficacy,and provides a framework for how each drug has begun to be integrated into new HF management guidelines.Collectively,these new drugs provide hope for the millions of patients around the world who suffer from HF.