NLRP3 and SASP in early SGLT2i therapy in T2DM heart attack patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The cardio-renal-metabolic role of NLRP3 and SASP in early SGLT2i therapy in diabetics with myocardial infarction
IRAS ID
319343
Contact name
Claire Hills
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Lincoln
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 0 days
Research summary
People with type-2 diabetes (T2DM) are at increased risk of major complications such as heart and kidney damage, which are responsible for the majority of deaths in patients with diabetes. This damage develops because of increased inflammation, damage which also intensifies as we get older. Inflammation has significant detrimental effects on an individual’s health. If we can reduce or treat this damage, we can enhance both the quality of life and longevity for people with T2DM.
A new class of drugs called sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-inhibitors), are prescribed to help control blood sugar levels in T2DM. These drugs, which are safe and well tolerated, have also shown an ability to protect the heart and kidneys from damage induced by inflammation. Exactly how they do this is currently unknown, a question we aim to answer.
This proposal is from a team of clinicians and scientists at Lincoln and will address this question on the back of some exciting preliminary studies. We will study if these drugs protect our heart and kidneys by blocking a specific form of inflammation linked to poor heart and kidney health in T2DM.
By studying the blood from patients on SGLT2-inhibitors, this pilot study will help us examine the underlying biological mechanisms of how the SGLT2-inhibitors work in protecting patients with diabetes who have recently had a heart attack. We aim to study how the SGLT2-inhibitor Empagliflozin may target and blunt a specific form of inflammation, which may reduce cell degeneration, senescence and sustained tissue damage, and also affect specific immune-inflammatory cell behaviour and signalling.
Although SGLT2-inhibitors are already prescribed for T2DM to reduce blood sugar, understanding how these drugs work will not only inform us on how to use them better but will additionally help develop new therapies in combatting heart and kidney complications in T2DM.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
22/ES/0047
Date of REC Opinion
1 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion