Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter (SGLT2) inhibitors: A new Era in renovascular protection

Abstract

Diabetic kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy), one of the most serious renovascular diabetic complication represents the leading cause of chronic kidney disease worldwide and is characterized clinically by impaired renal functional indices, hypertension, systemic and renal hemodynamic changes and pathologically by a spectrum of glomerulotubulointerstitial and vascular lesions. Diabetic nephropathy is initiated by persistent hyperglycemia and glomerular hyperfiltration and, if untreated, progresses to increasing albuminuria, declining glomerular filtration rate (GFR), development of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) and or enhanced risk of poor cardiovascular outcomes. The emergence of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, a novel class of antidiabetic drugs endowed with a wide range of pleiotropic actions revolutionized care of diabetes and its complications. These drugs reduce major cardiovascular events, heart failure hospitalization, rate of progression of albuminuria, and decline in GFR in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients with preserved or impaired renal function and development of ESRF.