Safety of RotigotiNe in Patients With Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary kidney disease linked to mutation of the PKD1 or PKD2 genes encoding polycystins 1 and 2. Patients develop renal cysts with progressive impairment of renal function leading to renal failure. terminal renal failure for 1/3 of them. These patients also present early with high blood pressure and cardiovascular complications, notably intracerebral aneurysms. This phenotype is linked to abnormal polycystins on the cilia of renal epithelial and vascular endothelial cells which no longer ensure the mechanotransduction of shear forces linked to urinary and blood flow leading to the modification of numerous cellular functions. Experimental results suggested that stimulation of dopamine receptor type 5 (DR5) could restore the mechanosensitivity of endothelial cells, a hypothesis supported by our first results showing that local administration of dopamine improves endothelial function in patients with ADPKD. through restoration of endothelial NO release upon increased blood flow. Similar positive results on endothelial function and hemodynamics were recently obtained in the IMPROVE-PKD study with rotigotine, a dopamine agonist administered via transdermal patches for 2 months at a low dose (4 mg/24h). Dopaminergic stimulation could also prevent abnormalities linked to polycystin deficiency at the renal level and we therefore hypothesize that rotigotine could slow the progression of ADPKD both at the renal and cardiovascular levels. This phase 2 study aims to ensure the good long-term tolerance of rotigotine in patients with ADPKD and to collect preliminary data on its renal impact.