Title:Potential Therapeutic Benefits of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors
in the Context of Ischemic Heart Failure: A State-of-the-Art Review
Volume: 20
Issue: 2
Author(s): Mauro Gitto, Dimitrios A. Vrachatis*, Gianluigi Condorelli, Konstantinos Papathanasiou, Bernhard Reimers, Spyridon Deftereos and Giulio G Stefanini
Affiliation:
- 2nd Department of Cardiology, National and Kapodistrian University
of Athens, Athens, Greece
Keywords:
SGLT2 inhibitors, ischemic heart failure, left ventricular remodelling, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Abstract: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a class of anti-diabetic agents
that block the reabsorption of glucose in the proximal convoluted tubule of the nephron, thereby
contributing to glycosuria and lowering blood glucose levels. SGLT2 inhibitors have been associated
with improved cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes, including a reduced risk of
cardiovascular death and hospitalizations for heart failure. Recently, DAPA-HF and EMPEROR
REDUCED trials showed the beneficial cardiovascular effect of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with
heart failure with consistently reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) regardless of the presence of diabetes.
Moreover, some exploratory studies suggested that these drugs improve Left Ventricular
(LV) systolic function and oppose LV adverse remodeling in patients with HFrEF. However, the
exact mechanisms that mediated for this benefit are not fully understood. Beyond glycemic control,
enhanced natriuresis, increased erythropoiesis, improved endothelial function and changes in myocardial
metabolism may all play an active role in SGLT2 inhibitors’ cardiovascular benefits. A
deep understanding of the pathophysiological interplay is key to define which HF phenotype could
benefit more from SGLT2 inhibitors. Current evidence on the comparison of different HF etiologies
is limited to posthoc subgroup analysis of DAPA-HF and EMPEROR-REDUCED, which
showed similar outcomes in patients with or without ischemic HF. On the other hand, in earlier
studies of patients suffering from diabetes, rates of classic ischemic endpoints, such as myocardial
infarction, stroke or coronary revascularization, did not differ between patients treated with SGLT2
inhibitors or placebo. The aim of this review is to discuss whether SGLT2 inhibitors may improve
prognosis in patients with ischemic HF, not only in terms of reducing re-hospitalizations and improving
LV function but also by limiting coronary artery disease progression and ischemic burden.