Introduction & Objective: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors improve renal outcomes in diabetic kidney disease (DKD), but the mechanisms underlying this effect are not fully elucidated. Renal fibrosis is an important cause leading to renal failure in DKD. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin can improve renal fibrosis in DKD models.
Methods: The DKD models used in this study include CD-1 mice treated with streptozotocin (STZ), C57/BL6J mice fed with high-fat diet (HFD), and ob mice fed with methionine/choline-deficient diet (MCD) /ob mice. Mice were administered empagliflozin (10mg/kg) daily by gavage for 4 to 8 weeks. Renal fibrosis was examined by pathological staining, immunofluorescence staining and western blot.
Results: After DKD induction, renal fibrosis was observed in three DKD mouse models indicated by PAS staining and Masson staining. Collagen III α1 chain (COL3A1) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) were upregulated in DKD mouse models detected by immunofluorescence staining and western blot. Empagliflozin significantly ameliorated pathological changes of renal fibrosis and downregulated COL3A1 and αSMA.
Conclusion: Empagliflozin ameliorate renal fibrosis in DKD.
X. Cai: None. H. Cao: None. M. Wang: None. P. Yu: None. X. Liang: None. H. Liang: None. F. Xu: None. M. Cai: None.
