Renohemodynamic Effects of Combined empagliflOzin and LosARtan

Worldwide, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common cause of chronic and end stage kidney disease. In parallel with the ever-increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), the incidence of DKD is expected to further increase in the coming years. DKD is a multi-factorial condition, involving pathophysiological factors such as chronic hyperglycemia, obesity, systemic- and glomerular hypertension, dyslipidemia, oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Large-sized prospective randomized clinical trials indicate that intensified glucose and blood pressure control, the latter especially by using agents that interfere with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAS), halts the onset and (particularly) the progression of DKD, in both type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and T2DM patients. However, despite the wide use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), a considerable amount of patients develop DKD, indicating an unmet need for renoprotective therapies. Sodium-glucose linked transporters (SGLT-2) inhibitors are a relatively novel glucose-lowering drug for the treatment of T2DM. These agents seem to exert pleiotropic actions \'beyond glucose control\'. SGLT-2 inhibitors decrease proximal sodium reabsorption and decrease glomerular pressure and albuminuria in type 2 diabetes. In addition, SGLT-2 inhibitors reduce blood pressure and body weight. At this point in time, the renoprotective mechanisms involved with SGLT-2 inhibition still remain speculative, though a consistent finding is that SGLT-2 inhibitors reduce estimated eGFR after first dosing, which is reversible after treatment cessation. This \"dip\" indicates a renal hemodynamic phenomenon reminiscent of the RAS blockers and is thought to reflect a reduction in intraglomerular pressure. The potential renoprotective effects and mechanisms of combination therapy of SGLT-2 inhibitors and RAS inhibitors have not been sufficiently detailed in human type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the underlying mechanism of the improved renal hemodynamics and mechanistics of mono- and combination therapy with an SGLT-2 inhibitor and a RAS inhibitor on renal physiology in metformin and/or SU-treated T2DM patients.