Empagliflozin treatment (15 mg/kg/day for 7 weeks) decreased ageing-induced arterial stiffness of the aorta in old mice with normal blood glucose levels.
Does empagliflozin reduce ageing-induced arterial stiffness in old mice with normal blood glucose levels?
Empagliflozin decreases arterial stiffness and vascular fibrosis in aged normoglycemic mice, suggesting a potential role for SGLT2 inhibition in mitigating vascular ageing.
Arterial stiffness is a hallmark of vascular ageing and results in increased blood flow pulsatility to the periphery, damaging end-organs such as the heart, kidneys and brain. Treating or "reversing" arterial stiffness has therefore become a central target in the field of vascular ageing. SGLT2 inhibitors, initially developed in the context of type 2 diabetes mellitus, have become a cornerstone of heart failure treatment. Additionally, effects on the vasculature have been reported. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin (7 weeks, 15 mg/kg/day) decreased ageing-induced arterial stiffness of the aorta in old mice with normal blood glucose levels. However, no universal mechanism was identified. While empagliflozin reduced the ageing-associated increase in collagen type I in the medial layer of the abdominal infrarenal aorta and decreased medial TGF-β deposition, this was not observed in the thoracic descending aorta. Moreover, empagliflozin was not able to prevent elastin fragmentation. In conclusion, empagliflozin decreased arterial stiffness in aged mice, indicating that SGLT2 inhibition could be a valuable strategy in mitigating vascular ageing. Further research is warranted to unravel the underlying, possibly region-specific, mechanisms.
Neutel et al. (Tue,) conducted a other in Ageing-induced arterial stiffness. Empagliflozin was evaluated on Ageing-induced arterial stiffness of the aorta. Empagliflozin treatment (15 mg/kg/day for 7 weeks) decreased ageing-induced arterial stiffness of the aorta in old mice with normal blood glucose levels.