Effects of empagliflozin on the heart of rats with heart failure

• Grant number: 21/04117-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2021
• End date: June 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Katashi Okoshi
• Grantee: João Pedro Gallo de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the complications of which can cause heart failure (HF), are currently the world's leading cause of disability and mortality, accounting for one-third of global deaths. In Brazil, it is the main cause of hospitalization in patients over 60 years of age. Oxidative stress, which makes up one of the mechanisms related to cardiac remodeling, is involved in the activation of several signaling pathways, which cause inflammation, myocardial fibrosis, hypertrophy, and death of cardiomyocytes, leading to HF. In addition, the energy deficit in the cardiac muscle is considered a potential factor for changes in cardiac function in the remodeled heart. Recently, interest in new drugs to mitigate cardiac remodeling has increased. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, prescribed in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, have shown a cardioprotective effect, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of empagliflozin on the myocardium of rats with heart failure induced by aortic stenosis. Specifically, the effects of treatment with empagliflozin (10 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks will be evaluated on cardiac structures and functions, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism. (AU)