Seven suggestions for successful SGLT2i use in glomerular disease - a standalone CKD therapy?

SGLT-2 inhibitors: new horizons for rheumatologists

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a class of medications initially developed for the treatment of diabetes, although their cardiac and renal protective benefits are far reaching. There has been marked interest in the rheumatology community to adopt these medications into our clinical practice, particularly for chronic kidney disease with persistent proteinuria.

RECENT FINDINGS

SGLT2 inhibitors have been approved for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart failure with reduced or preserved ejection fraction, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the setting of type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as chronic kidney disease with proteinuria. Large studies on SGLT2 inhibitors have largely excluded patients with proteinuric chronic kidney disease due to autoimmune glomerulonephritis due to concerns for confounding from immunosuppression. The Dapagliflozin and Prevention of Adverse Outcomes in CKD Trial (DAPA-CKD) showed that SGLT2 inhibition decreased progression of renal disease in patients with IgA nephropathy. Expanding this to other autoimmune glomerulonephropathies, several small studies have shown improvements in proteinuria in patients with lupus nephritis treated with SGLT2 inhibitors. A study evaluating safety of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with lupus identified no specific concerns even with concomitant use of immunosuppression.

SUMMARY

Small studies have shown that SGLT2 inhibitors can been utilized safely and efficaciously in patients with lupus nephritis. Additional research is needed to identify where these medications fit into the rheumatology treatment armamentarium.

Diabetes and diabetic associative diseases: An overview of epigenetic regulations of TUG1

The epigenetic regulation of lncRNA TUG1 has garnered significant attention in the context of diabetes and its associated disorders. TUG1's multifaceted roles in gene expression modulation, and cellular differentiation, and it plays a major role in the growth of diabetes and the issues that are related to it due to pathological processes. In diabetes, aberrant epigenetic modifications can lead to dysregulation of TUG1 expression, contributing to disrupted insulin signaling, impaired glucose metabolism, and beta-cell dysfunction. Moreover, it has been reported that TUG1 contributes to the development of problems linked to diabetes, such as nephropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular complications, through epigenetically mediated mechanisms. Understanding the epigenetic regulations of TUG1 offers novel insights into the primary molecular mechanisms of diabetes and provides a possible path for healing interventions. Targeting epigenetic modifications associated with TUG1 holds promise for restoring proper gene expression patterns, ameliorating insulin sensitivity, and mitigating the inception and development of diabetic associative diseases. This review highlights the intricate epigenetic landscape that governs TUG1 expression in diabetes, encompassing DNA methylation and alterations in histone structure, as well as microRNA interactions.

Expanding options of supportive care in IgA nephropathy

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide, with a potentially serious prognosis. At present, management of IgAN is primarily based on therapeutic lifestyle changes, and excellent blood pressure control and maximized supportive treatment with the combination of inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with either inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme or angiotensin II receptor blockers and inhibitors of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2, and possibly in the future also with endothelin antagonists. Supportive care currently represents the cornerstone of treatment of IgAN. Targeted-release formulation of budesonide should replace systemic corticosteroids in patients with higher proteinuria and active histological lesions. New treatment options are aimed at immunopathogenesis of IgAN including depletion or modulation of Galactose-deficient-Immunoglobulin A1-producing B cells, plasma cells, and the alternate and/or lectin pathway of complement. The exact place of monoclonal antibodies and complement inhibitors will need to be determined. This article reviews potential supportive therapies currently available for patients with IgAN.

SGLT2i for evidence-based cardiorenal protection in diabetic and non-diabetic chronic kidney disease: a comprehensive review by EURECA-m and ERBP working groups of ERA

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health issue affecting an estimated 850 million people globally. The leading causes of CKD is diabetes and hypertension, which together account for >50% of patients with end-stage kidney disease. Progressive CKD leads to the requirement for kidney replacement therapy with transplantation or dialysis. In addition, CKD, is a risk factor for premature cardiovascular disease, particularly from structural heart disease and heart failure (HF). Until 2015, the mainstay of treatment to slow progression of both diabetic and many non-diabetic kidney diseases was blood pressure control and renin-angiotensin system inhibition; however, neither angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) nor angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) reduced cardiovascular events and mortality in major trials in CKD. The emergence of cardiovascular and renal benefits observed with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) from clinical trials of their use as anti-hyperglycaemic agents has led to a revolution in cardiorenal protection for patients with diabetes. Subsequent clinical trials, notably DAPA-HF, EMPEROR, CREDENCE, DAPA-CKD and EMPA-KIDNEY have demonstrated their benefits in reducing risk of HF and progression to kidney failure in patients with HF and/or CKD. The cardiorenal benefits-on a relative scale-appear similar in patients with or without diabetes. Specialty societies' guidelines are continually adapting as trial data emerges to support increasingly wide use of SGLT2i. This consensus paper from EURECA-m and ERBP highlights the latest evidence and summarizes the guidelines for use of SGLT2i for cardiorenal protection focusing on benefits observed relevant to people with CKD.

Remission of Proteinuria in a Patient Affected by Crescentic IgA Nephropathy with Rapidly Progressive Glomerulonephritis Treated by Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors: Casual or Causal Relationship?

Crescentic IgA nephropathy (IgAN) with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) is often associated with rapidly declining kidney function. Up to this date, specific therapy for crescentic IgAN is still unknown. Accumulating evidence suggests that sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) may have a role in standard therapy of glomerular diseases. However, it is unclear at what point in the natural history of specific glomerular diseases SGLT-2i can be beneficial. We report the clinical and histological features of a patient with crescentic IgAN that presented as an RPGN, who received intensive immunosuppression and renal replacement therapeutic (RRT). At the third month, the patient presented with significant improvement in his kidney function. At that point, we decided to start dapagliflozin in addition to his renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blocker, basing our decision on its proven renal benefits such as slowing the rate of decline in kidney function and reducing albuminuria. At the eighth month, the patient’s renal function gradually improved from serum Cr of 6.07 to 2.1 mg/dL; and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) declined from 5655 mg/g to 200 mg/g. The use of SGLT-2i in primary and secondary nondiabetic glomerular disease appears promising. It is crucial and necessary to accumulate more evidence for a more complete understanding of the mechanisms of the actions of SGLT-2i in non-diabetic glomerular disease.