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Review Article| Volume 18, ISSUE 4, P551-559, October 2022

SGLT2 Inhibitors in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

  • Giulia Ferrannini
    Affiliations
    Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Norrbacka S1:02, Stockholm SE 17177, Sweden
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  • Gianluigi Savarese
    Affiliations
    Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Norrbacka S1:02, Stockholm SE 17177, Sweden

    Heart, Vascular and Neuro Theme, Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Anna Steckséns gata 41, 171 64 Solna, Sweden
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  • Francesco Cosentino
    Correspondence
    Corresponding author. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Norrbacka S1:02, Stockholm SE 17177, Sweden.
    Affiliations
    Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Norrbacka S1:02, Stockholm SE 17177, Sweden

    Heart, Vascular and Neuro Theme, Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Anna Steckséns gata 41, 171 64 Solna, Sweden
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      Keywords

      Key points

      • Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are a class of glucose-lowering drugs, primarily used in patients with type 2 diabetes, which were tested in cardiovascular outcome trials following guidance from international medicines agencies.
      • Results from cardiovascular outcome trials showed that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are safe and noninferior compared with placebo on top of standard medical care.
      • The most consistent cardiovascular effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in cardiovascular outcome trials was the benefit on heart failure–related events, including first and recurrent hospitalization, and cardiovascular death.
      • Real-world observations substantially confirmed trials’ findings.
      • Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors gained the attention of the scientific community because of their striking clinical benefit, and the investigation of the underlying mechanisms granting such benefit is continuously engaging researchers all over the world.

      History of sodium-glucose transporter inhibitors

      The first discovered sodium-glucose transporter (SGLT) inhibitor was phlorizin, a glucoside found in the root bark of apple trees, isolated by de Konink in 1836.
      • Von Mrig J.
      Observations sur les proprietes febrifuges de la phloridzine.
      In 1885, von Mering observed that intravenous administration of phlorizin caused glucosuria and consequently had a diuretic effect,
      • von Mering J.
      Uber kunstlichen diabetes.
      prompting clinical research in different settings including renal function, metabolism, sarcoma, and nephritis.
      • Chasis H.
      • Jolliffe N.
      • Smith H.W.
      The action of phlorizin on the excretion of glucose, xylose, sucrose, creatinine and urea by man.
      The inhibiting action of phlorizin on the transporter, causing glucose reabsorption in the renal proximal tubule and in the intestine, was observed in vitro in the second half of the twentieth century; two main isoforms were then identified, “intestinal” (SGLT1) and “kidney” (SGLT2).
      • Alvarado F.
      • Crane R.K.
      Phlorizin as a competitive inhibitor of the active transport of sugars by hamster small intestine, in vitro.
      • Vick H.
      • Diedrich D.F.
      • Baumann K.
      Reevaluation of renal tubular glucose transport inhibition by phlorizin analogs.
      • Shepherd P.R.
      • Kahn B.B.
      Glucose transporters and insulin action: implications for insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus.
      • Wood I.S.
      • Trayhurn P.
      Glucose transporters (GLUT and SGLT): expanded families of sugar transport proteins.
      In light of the observation that phlorizin normalized glucose levels and decreased insulin resistance in diabetic rats, a group of researchers from Japan synthetized the first oral phlorizin-like compound.
      • Ehrenkranz J.R.
      • Lewis N.G.
      • Kahn C.R.
      • Roth J.
      Phlorizin: a review.
      • Oku A.
      • Ueta K.
      • Arakawa K.
      • et al.
      T-1095, an inhibitor of renal Na+-glucose cotransporters, may provide a novel approach to treating diabetes.
      • Ueta K.
      • Ishihara T.
      • Matsumoto Y.
      • et al.
      Long-term treatment with the Na+-glucose cotransporter inhibitor T-1095 causes sustained improvement in hyperglycemia and prevents diabetic neuropathy in Goto-Kakizaki Rats.
      In the last 20 years, pharmacologic industries have commercialized several products, most with SGLT2 selectivity (Table 1).
      • Ferrannini G.
      • Savarese G.
      • Ryden L.
      Sodium-glucose transporter inhibition in heart failure: from an unexpected side effect to a novel treatment possibility.
      Table 1Characteristics of currently approved sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors
      Name of the DrugAvailable Tablet DosesIndicationsRenal Function
      eGFR is in mL/min/1.73 m2.
      Approvals
      Refers to first approval in type 2 diabetes.
      Canagliflozin100 mg, 300 mgT2DMInitiation contraindicated if eGFR <30EMA (2013), FDA (2013), Australia (2013)
      Dapagliflozin5 mg, 10 mgT2DM, HF, CKD (FDA only)Initiation contraindicated if eGFR <25EMA (2012), FDA (2014)
      Empagliflozin10 mg, 25 mgT2DM, HFIn T2DM: not recommended if eGFR <45 (EMA)/30 (FDA)

      In HF: not recommended if eGFR <20
      EMA (2014), FDA (2014)
      Ertugliflozin5 mg, 15 mgT2DMEMA: initiation not recommended if eGFR <45

      FDA: initiation not recommended if eGFR <30
      EMA (2018), FDA (2019)
      Sotagliflozin200 mgT1DMEMA: initiation not recommended if eGFR <60EMA 2019
      Ipragliflozin25 mg, 50 mgT2DMNot statedJapan 2014, Republic of Korea and Thailand 2015, Russia 2019
      Luseogliflozin2.5 mg, 5 mgT2DMNot recommended if GFR <60Japan 2014
      Tofogliflozin20 mgT2DMNot statedJapan 2014
      Remogliflozin100 mgT2DM, NAFLDNot statedIndia 2019
      Abbreviations: CKD, chronic kidney disease; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; EMA, European Medicines Agency; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; HF, heart failure; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; T1DM, type 1 diabetes mellitus; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus.
      a Refers to first approval in type 2 diabetes.
      b eGFR is in mL/min/1.73 m2.

      Guidance for cardiovascular outcome trials in type 2 diabetes

      In 2008, after the observation that marketed antidiabetic agents increased the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality, the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency issued a guidance to the pharmaceutical industries, stating that “concerns about cardiovascular risk should be more thoroughly addressed during drug development.”
      • Nissen S.E.
      • Wolski K.
      Effect of rosiglitazone on the risk of myocardial infarction and death from cardiovascular causes.
      ,
      • Hennekens C.H.
      • Hebert P.R.
      • Schneider W.R.
      • O'Brien P.
      • Demets D.
      • Borer J.S.
      Academic perspectives on the United States Food and Drug Administration's guidance for industry on diabetes mellitus.
      Trials for SGLT2i made no exception and were thus designed as cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs), assessing cardiovascular efficacy and safety, with a composite end point of three-point major adverse cardiovascular events (3P-MACE) including first of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke. Therefore, these trials included patients at high cardiovascular risk or with established cardiovascular disease (CVD), with varying proportions of heart failure (HF) at baseline and generally increased risk to develop HF-related events (Table 2).
      Table 2Baseline characteristics of the populations of cardiovascular outcome trials on sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors
      EMPA-REG OUTCOMEDECLARE-TIMI 58CANVAS ProgramCREDENCEVERTIS-CV
      Number of participants702017,16010,14244018246
      DrugEmpagliflozinDapagliflozinCanagliflozinCanagliflozinErtugliflozin
      Women, %28.537.435.833.930.0
      HbA1c, mean8.18.38.28.38.2
      Diabetes duration, mean (SD), y10 (in >57% participants)11.8 (7.8)13.5 (7.8)15.8 (8.6)13.0 (8.3)
      Established ASCVD, %10040.665.650.4100
      Heart failure, %10.110.014.414.823.7
      eGFR <60 mL/min/m2, %25.97.420.159.821.9
      Abbreviations: ASCVD, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; CANVAS, CANagliflozin cardioVascular Assessment Study; CREDENCE, Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation; DECLARE-TIMI 58, Dapagliflozin Effect on Cardiovascular Events–Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 58; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; EMPA-REG OUTCOME, Empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; SD, standard deviation; VERTIS-CV, eValuation of ERTugliflozin effIcacy and Safety CardioVascular outcomes trial.

      Cardiovascular outcome trials in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a major breakthrough

      The Empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes (EMPA-REG OUTCOME) trial was the landmark trial for this class of drugs: 7020 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and a history of a previous cardiovascular event were randomized to either empagliflozin (10 or 25 mg) or placebo on top of standard care (Table 3).
      • Zinman B.
      • Wanner C.
      • Lachin J.M.
      • et al.
      Empagliflozin, cardiovascular outcomes, and mortality in type 2 diabetes.
      Although designed as a noninferiority trial for 3P-MACE, in EMPA-REG OUTCOME empagliflozin reduced the risk of not only this primary outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74–0.99; P = .0038), but also of all-cause mortality (32% relative risk reduction), cardiovascular mortality (38% relative risk reduction), and HF hospitalizations (HHF; 35% relative risk reduction) over a median follow-up of 3.1 years. The separation of the Kaplan-Meier curves for either HHF or cardiovascular death occurred early in the trial, leading to a number needed to treat to prevent one such event of 35 over 3 years.
      • Fitchett D.
      • Zinman B.
      • Wanner C.
      • et al.
      Heart failure outcomes with empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk: results of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME(R) trial.
      The effect of empagliflozin was consistent in patients with and without HF at baseline and across subgroups with different glucose-lowering drugs and HF treatments.
      • Fitchett D.
      • Zinman B.
      • Wanner C.
      • et al.
      Heart failure outcomes with empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk: results of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME(R) trial.
      Moreover, in patients without HF at baseline, empagliflozin consistently reduced the risk of cardiovascular death and HHF irrespective of their baseline HF risk.
      • Fitchett D.
      • Butler J.
      • van de Borne P.
      • et al.
      Effects of empagliflozin on risk for cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization across the spectrum of heart failure risk in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME(R) trial.
      In a post hoc analysis of the 221 patients who experienced at least one HHF after randomization in EMPA-REG OUTCOME, the number of adjudicated clinical events (second events of HF rehospitalization, HF rehospitalization or cardiovascular death, HF rehospitalization or all-cause death) within 30, 45, 60, and 90 days from the admission date of first HHF were compared in the empagliflozin (126 patients) versus placebo (95 patients) groups.
      • Savarese G.
      • Sattar N.
      • Januzzi J.
      • et al.
      Empagliflozin is associated with a lower risk of post-acute heart failure rehospitalization and mortality.
      After 30 days, the rates of readmission were nearly two-fold higher in patients who received placebo compared with empagliflozin.
      • Savarese G.
      • Sattar N.
      • Januzzi J.
      • et al.
      Empagliflozin is associated with a lower risk of post-acute heart failure rehospitalization and mortality.
      Essentially, empagliflozin emerged as a potential treatment of HF, because its effect was in the same magnitude of that of established HF treatment (eg, enalapril and eplerenone).
      • Zannad F.
      • McMurray J.J.
      • Krum H.
      • et al.
      Eplerenone in patients with systolic heart failure and mild symptoms.
      ,
      Effects of enalapril on mortality in severe congestive heart failure. Results of the Cooperative North Scandinavian Enalapril Survival Study (CONSENSUS).
      Table 3Summary results of cardiovascular outcomes in cardiovascular outcome trials on sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors
      EMPA-REG OUTCOMEDECLARE-TIMI 58CANVAS ProgramCREDENCEVERTIS-CVOverall
      McGuire DK, Shih WJ, Cosentino F, et al. Association of SGLT2 Inhibitors With Cardiovascular and Kidney Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-analysis. JAMA Cardiol. Feb 1 2021;6(2):148-158. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2020.4511.
      3P-MACE0.86 (0.74–0.99)0.93 (0.84–1.03)0.86 (0.75–0.97)0.80 (0.67–0.95)0.99 (0.88–1.12)0.90 (0.85–0.95)
      HHF0.65 (0.50–0.85)0.73 (0.61–0.88)0.67 (0.52–0.87)0.61 (0.47–0.80)0.70 (0.54–0.90)0.68 (0.61–0.76)
      CV death0.62 (0.49–0.77)0.98 (0.82–1.17)0.87 (0.72–1.06)0.78 (0.61–1.00)0.92 (0.77–1.10)0.85 (0.78–0.93)
      Points estimates are hazard ratio (95% confidence interval).
      Abbreviations: 3P-MACE, three-point major adverse cardiovascular events (ie, a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death); CANVAS, CANagliflozin cardioVascular Assessment Study; CREDENCE, canagliflozin and renal events in diabetes with established nephropathy clinical evaluation; CV, cardiovascular; DECLARE-TIMI 58, Dapagliflozin Effect on Cardiovascular Events–Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 58; EMPA-REG OUTCOME, empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes; HHF, hospitalization for heart failure; VERTIS-CV, eValuation of ERTugliflozin effIcacy and Safety CardioVascular outcomes trial.
      a McGuire DK, Shih WJ, Cosentino F, et al. Association of SGLT2 Inhibitors With Cardiovascular and Kidney Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-analysis. JAMA Cardiol. Feb 1 2021;6(2):148-158. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2020.4511.
      In the Dapagliflozin Effect on Cardiovascular Events–Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 58 (DECLARE-TIMI 58) trial, where 17,160 patients with T2DM and with or at risk of atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) were randomized to dapagliflozin or placebo on top of standard therapy, dapagliflozin was not superior to placebo as regards 3P-MACE (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.84–1.03), but the risk of the coprimary outcome of cardiovascular death or HHF was significantly reduced in the dapagliflozin group, driven mainly by a 27% reduction in risk of HHF.
      • Wiviott S.D.
      • Raz I.
      • Bonaca M.P.
      • et al.
      Dapagliflozin and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes.
      The effect of dapagliflozin on this composite outcome was greater in patients with a previous myocardial infarction, in patients with higher levels of N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide and high-sensitivity troponin T, but independent of T2DM duration.
      • Furtado R.H.M.
      • Bonaca M.P.
      • Raz I.
      • et al.
      Dapagliflozin and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and previous myocardial infarction.
      • Zelniker T.A.
      • Morrow D.A.
      • Mosenzon O.
      • et al.
      Relationship between baseline cardiac biomarkers and cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure with and without sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor therapy in DECLARE-TIMI 58.
      • Bajaj H.S.
      • Raz I.
      • Mosenzon O.
      • et al.
      Cardiovascular and renal benefits of dapagliflozin in patients with short and long-standing type 2 diabetes: analysis from the DECLARE-TIMI 58 trial.
      As regards baseline HF status, the risk reduction in HHF conferred by dapagliflozin treatment was consistent in patients with and without prior HF, but the risk of cardiovascular death was reduced only in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction.
      • Kato E.T.
      • Silverman M.G.
      • Mosenzon O.
      • et al.
      Effect of dapagliflozin on heart failure and mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
      Canagliflozin was tested in the CANagliflozin cardioVascular Assessment Study (CANVAS) Programme, a combined analysis of two double-blind placebo-controlled trials enrolling a total of 10,142 patients with T2DM who were randomized to canagliflozin versus placebo on top of optimal medical care.
      • Neal B.
      • Perkovic V.
      • Mahaffey K.W.
      • et al.
      Canagliflozin and cardiovascular and renal events in type 2 diabetes.
      Among them, 66% had established CVD and 34% had high cardiovascular risk.
      • Mahaffey K.W.
      • Jardine M.J.
      • Bompoint S.
      • et al.
      Canagliflozin and cardiovascular and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease in primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention groups.
      Canagliflozin was superior to placebo, significantly reducing the risk of 3P-MACE by 14%, and the risk of HHF by 33%.
      • Mahaffey K.W.
      • Jardine M.J.
      • Bompoint S.
      • et al.
      Canagliflozin and cardiovascular and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease in primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention groups.
      A post hoc analysis suggested that the benefit of canagliflozin on cardiovascular death or HHF may be greater in patients with a history of HF (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.46–0.80), who constituted 14% of the whole trial population, compared with those without HF at baseline (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.72–1.06; P value for interaction 0.021), with no additional safety concerns.
      • Radholm K.
      • Figtree G.
      • Perkovic V.
      • et al.
      Canagliflozin and heart failure in type 2 diabetes mellitus: results from the CANVAS Program.
      The efficacy of canagliflozin was consistent across different body mass index strata
      • Ohkuma T.
      • Van Gaal L.
      • Shaw W.
      • et al.
      Clinical outcomes with canagliflozin according to baseline body mass index: results from post hoc analyses of the CANVAS Program.
      and renal function.
      • Neuen B.L.
      • Ohkuma T.
      • Neal B.
      • et al.
      Cardiovascular and renal outcomes with canagliflozin according to baseline kidney function.
      In parallel, the Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial was conducted in patients with T2DM and chronic kidney disease: 4401 patients with T2DM with an estimated glomerular filtration rate ranging from 30 to 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 were randomized to either canagliflozin or placebo on top of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
      • Perkovic V.
      • Jardine M.J.
      • Neal B.
      • et al.
      Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy.
      The primary outcome was a composite of sustained (at least 30 days) doubling of serum creatinine, end-stage kidney disease, and death from renal or cardiovascular causes. The relative risk of the primary outcome was reduced by 30% in the canagliflozin group compared with placebo.
      • Perkovic V.
      • Jardine M.J.
      • Neal B.
      • et al.
      Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy.
      Patients who received canagliflozin also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67–0.95) and HHF (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47–0.80). Results of the CREDENCE trial were also examined by baseline hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), reporting that the benefit of canagliflozin on the primary outcome was consistent across HbA1c categories, even in those with levels lower than 7%, with no signals of increased serious adverse events.
      • Cannon C.P.
      • Perkovic V.
      • Agarwal R.
      • et al.
      Evaluating the effects of canagliflozin on cardiovascular and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease according to baseline HbA1c, including those with HbA1c <7%: results from the CREDENCE Trial.
      In the eValuation of ERTugliflozin effIcacy and Safety CardioVascular outcomes trial (VERTIS-CV) trial, where 8246 patients with T2DM and ASCVD were randomized to ertugliflozin versus placebo, ertugliflozin was noninferior, but not superior, to placebo as regards the effect on 3P-MACE (HR, 0.97; 95.6% CI, 0.85–1.11) and on the time to first HHF/cardiovascular death (HR, 0.88; 95.8% CI, 0.75–1.03).
      • Cannon C.P.
      • Pratley R.
      • Dagogo-Jack S.
      • et al.
      Cardiovascular outcomes with ertugliflozin in type 2 diabetes.
      However, a prespecified analysis reported that ertugliflozin significantly reduced total HF-related events (ie, including first and recurrent events), by 30% and total HHF/cardiovascular death by 17%, regardless of presence of HF at baseline and of ejection fraction values.
      • Cosentino F.
      • Cannon C.P.
      • Cherney D.Z.I.
      • et al.
      Efficacy of ertugliflozin on heart failure-related events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: results of the VERTIS CV Trial.
      Because VERTIS-CV included a higher proportion of patients with HF history at baseline (24%) compared with the other SGLT2i CVOTs, these results offered a particularly accurate insight of the total HF burden.
      • Cosentino F.
      • Cannon C.P.
      • Cherney D.Z.I.
      • et al.
      Efficacy of ertugliflozin on heart failure-related events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: results of the VERTIS CV Trial.
      Finally, a meta-analysis of pooled data from the reported CVOTs showed that SGLT2i reduce the risk of 3P-MACE by a modest 10% (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85–0.95), being demonstrated within trials for empagliflozin and canagliflozin only.
      • McGuire D.K.
      • Shih W.J.
      • Cosentino F.
      • et al.
      Association of SGLT2 inhibitors with cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.
      As regards cardiovascular death, the overall significant reduction offered by SGLT2i in patients with T2DM is of 15%, but only empagliflozin demonstrated significant outcomes for cardiovascular death risk reduction and the heterogeneity was 64%.
      • McGuire D.K.
      • Shih W.J.
      • Cosentino F.
      • et al.
      Association of SGLT2 inhibitors with cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.
      However, the most consistent effect of SGLT2i across trials was that on HHF, with a 32% relative risk reduction (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.61–0.76) and no heterogeneity (Fig. 1).
      • McGuire D.K.
      • Shih W.J.
      • Cosentino F.
      • et al.
      Association of SGLT2 inhibitors with cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.
      There was no significant interaction between the use of SGLT2i and the presence of ASCVD and/or HF at baseline.
      • McGuire D.K.
      • Shih W.J.
      • Cosentino F.
      • et al.
      Association of SGLT2 inhibitors with cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.
      Figure thumbnail gr1
      Fig. 1Incidence rates of heart failure hospitalization in the treatment and placebo groups in each trial. CANVAS, CANagliflozin cardioVascular Assessment Study; CREDENCE, Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation; DECLARE-TIMI 58, Dapagliflozin Effect on Cardiovascular Events–Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 58; EMPA-REG OUTCOME, Empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes; VERTIS-CV, eValuation of ERTugliflozin effIcacy and Safety CardioVascular outcomes trial.
      More recently, efficacy and safety of the SGLT2/SGLT1i sotagliflozin was tested against placebo in the Sotagliflozin on Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Post Worsening Heart Failure (SOLOIST-WHF) trial, including 1222 patients with T2DM and a recent hospitalization for worsening HF.
      • Bhatt D.L.
      • Szarek M.
      • Steg P.G.
      • et al.
      Sotagliflozin in patients with diabetes and recent worsening heart failure.
      Despite the trial being terminated early because of the COVID-19 pandemic, sotagliflozin significantly reduced the occurrence of the primary end point of HHF/urgent visits for HF and cardiovascular death (first and subsequent events) compared with placebo (51.0 vs 76.3 per 100 patient-years; HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.52–0.85).
      • Bhatt D.L.
      • Szarek M.
      • Steg P.G.
      • et al.
      Sotagliflozin in patients with diabetes and recent worsening heart failure.
      Importantly, in SOLOIST, the first dose of the trial product was administered before hospital discharge or after a median of 2 days following discharge, supporting the safety of early initiation of SGLT2i in patients with HF.
      • Bhatt D.L.
      • Szarek M.
      • Steg P.G.
      • et al.
      Sotagliflozin in patients with diabetes and recent worsening heart failure.
      The benefit of sotagliflozin was evident for all patients regardless of their ejection fraction, even though the small sample size of the subgroup with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction limits the finding on this subgroup.
      • Bhatt D.L.
      • Szarek M.
      • Steg P.G.
      • et al.
      Sotagliflozin in patients with diabetes and recent worsening heart failure.
      Sotagliflozin was also tested in the Sotagliflozin on Cardiovascular and Renal Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Moderate Renal Impairment Who Are at Cardiovascular Risk (SCORED) trial, enrolling 10,540 patients with T2DM and chronic kidney disease (25–60 mL/min/1.73 m2).
      • Bhatt D.L.
      • Szarek M.
      • Pitt B.
      • et al.
      Sotagliflozin in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
      Sotagliflozin reduced the primary end point (ie, the composite of the total number of deaths from cardiovascular causes, HHF, and urgent HF visits) by 26% (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63–0.88); however, in the sotagliflozin group adverse events including diarrhea, genital mycotic infections, volume depletion, and diabetic ketoacidosis were more common.
      • Bhatt D.L.
      • Szarek M.
      • Pitt B.
      • et al.
      Sotagliflozin in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
      Taken together, these results paved the way for designing future trials to specifically assess the outcomes in patients with HF, regardless of the presence of T2DM.

      The supporting results from real-world observations

      The first large observational study looking into the association between SGLT2i and HF outcomes in patients with T2DM was the Comparative Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Outcomes in New Users of SGLT-2 Inhibitors (CVD-REAL), collecting data from the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, and the United Kingdom from 2012 to 2013. In this study, new users of empagliflozin, canagliflozin, and dapagliflozin were compared with other glucose-lowering drugs, for a total of 309,056 patients.
      • Kosiborod M.
      • Cavender M.A.
      • Fu A.Z.
      • et al.
      Lower risk of heart failure and death in patients initiated on sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors versus other glucose-lowering drugs: the CVD-REAL Study (Comparative Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Outcomes in New Users of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors).
      SGLT2i were associated with a lower risk of HHF (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.51–0.73) and all-cause death (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.41–0.57) compared with other antihyperglycemic medications.
      • Kosiborod M.
      • Cavender M.A.
      • Fu A.Z.
      • et al.
      Lower risk of heart failure and death in patients initiated on sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors versus other glucose-lowering drugs: the CVD-REAL Study (Comparative Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Outcomes in New Users of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors).
      The relative risks for HHF and death associated with SGLT2i use were similar in the two subgroups with and without established ASCVD, representing 13% and 87% of the study population, respectively.
      • Cavender M.A.
      • Norhammar A.
      • Birkeland K.I.
      • et al.
      SGLT-2 inhibitors and cardiovascular risk: an analysis of CVD-REAL.
      However, the absolute event rates for HHF differed substantially, being higher in patients with established CVD at baseline (2.3/100 patient-years for SGLT2i users vs 3.2/100 patient-years for other glucose-lowering drugs) than in patients without established CVD (0.1/100 patient-years in those on SGLT2 inhibitors vs 0.9/100 patient-years for those on other glucose-lowering drugs).
      • Cavender M.A.
      • Norhammar A.
      • Birkeland K.I.
      • et al.
      SGLT-2 inhibitors and cardiovascular risk: an analysis of CVD-REAL.
      This led to speculate that the number needed to treat in future randomized trials on HF outcomes in high-risk patients would be considerably lower in a patient population with established CVD at baseline, including history of HF; as mentioned, this was subsequently confirmed by the results of EMPA-REG OUTCOME. Moreover, the early divergence of the Kaplan-Meier curves for HHF and cardiovascular death in the previously mentioned CVOTs suggested a short duration of trials designated ad hoc for HF outcomes.
      In EMPRISE, a large observational study conducted in the United States, empagliflozin was associated with a decreased risk of HHF by 50% (HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.28–0.91) compared with sitagliptin.
      • Ryan P.B.
      • Buse J.B.
      • Schuemie M.J.
      • et al.
      Comparative effectiveness of canagliflozin, SGLT2 inhibitors and non-SGLT2 inhibitors on the risk of hospitalization for heart failure and amputation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a real-world meta-analysis of 4 observational databases (OBSERVE-4D).
      Accordingly, in a real-world meta-analysis of four observational databases from the United States canagliflozin therapy was associated with a lower risk of HHF compared with other glucose-lowering agents, with an HR of 0.39 (95% CI, 0.26–0.60).
      • Ryan P.B.
      • Buse J.B.
      • Schuemie M.J.
      • et al.
      Comparative effectiveness of canagliflozin, SGLT2 inhibitors and non-SGLT2 inhibitors on the risk of hospitalization for heart failure and amputation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a real-world meta-analysis of 4 observational databases (OBSERVE-4D).
      SGLT2i use in patients with T2DM was associated with a 30% lower risk of first HHF and cardiovascular death in the Swedish HF registry, consistently across ejection fraction and renal function, in patients with and without baseline metformin treatment.
      • Becher P.M.
      • Schrage B.
      • Ferrannini G.
      • et al.
      Use of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in patients with heart failure and type 2 diabetes mellitus: data from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry.

      From bedside to bench: mechanisms of action of SGLT2i

      SGLT2i have a simple pharmacodynamic: by blocking sodium-glucose reabsorption in the proximal renal tubule of patients with T2DM, their use leads to increased renal glucose excretion and lower plasma glucose levels, and thus to HbA1c and glucotoxicity reduction.
      • Scheen A.J.
      Cardiovascular effects of new oral glucose-lowering agents: DPP-4 and SGLT-2 inhibitors.
      • Monami M.
      • Liistro F.
      • Scatena A.
      • Nreu B.
      • Mannucci E.
      Short and medium-term efficacy of sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
      • Cowie M.R.
      • Fisher M.
      SGLT2 inhibitors: mechanisms of cardiovascular benefit beyond glycaemic control.
      An overall improvement of the cardiovascular risk factor profile, including weight loss, fat mass reduction, lowering of blood pressure and arterial stiffness, and improvements in endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress were initially studied.
      • Ferrannini G.
      • Rydén L.
      Sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibition and cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes: information from clinical trials and observational real-world data.
      • Ferrannini E.
      • Solini A.
      SGLT2 inhibition in diabetes mellitus: rationale and clinical prospects.
      • Heerspink H.J.
      • Perkins B.A.
      • Fitchett D.H.
      • Husain M.
      • Cherney D.Z.
      Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in the treatment of diabetes mellitus: cardiovascular and kidney effects, potential mechanisms, and clinical applications.
      • Ridderstråle M.
      • Andersen K.R.
      • Zeller C.
      • Kim G.
      • Woerle H.J.
      • Broedl U.C.
      Comparison of empagliflozin and glimepiride as add-on to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes: a 104-week randomised, active-controlled, double-blind, phase 3 trial.
      • Baker W.L.
      • Smyth L.R.
      • Riche D.M.
      • Bourret E.M.
      • Chamberlin K.W.
      • White W.B.
      Effects of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
      As regards the hemodynamic effects induced by SGLT2i, the volume depletion does not activate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system or the sympathetic nervous system
      • Griffin M.
      • Rao V.S.
      • Ivey-Miranda J.
      • et al.
      Empagliflozin in heart failure: diuretic and cardiorenal effects.
      ; this is probably caused by the absence of change in intravascular volume, which is normally responsible for the deleterious neurohormonal activation.
      • Griffin M.
      • Rao V.S.
      • Ivey-Miranda J.
      • et al.
      Empagliflozin in heart failure: diuretic and cardiorenal effects.
      ,
      • Jensen J.
      • Omar M.
      • Kistorp C.
      • et al.
      Effects of empagliflozin on estimated extracellular volume, estimated plasma volume, and measured glomerular filtration rate in patients with heart failure (Empire HF Renal): a prespecified substudy of a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.
      As a result, SGLT2i likely exert a diuretic effect while also causing an efficient body fluid redistribution, reducing cardiac preload.
      • Verma S.
      • McMurray J.J.V.
      SGLT2 inhibitors and mechanisms of cardiovascular benefit: a state-of-the-art review.
      Hemoconcentration emerged as a principal mechanism of the SGLT2i benefit from the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial: the relative increase in hematocrit was 12% and changes in hematocrit and hemoglobin explained 52% and 49%, respectively, of the reduction of cardiovascular death seen with empagliflozin compared with placebo, reflecting the hemoconcentration and possibly a direct increase in erythropoietin secretion.
      • Inzucchi S.E.
      • Zinman B.
      • Wanner C.
      • et al.
      SGLT-2 inhibitors and cardiovascular risk: proposed pathways and review of ongoing outcome trials.
      • Ferrannini E.
      • Baldi S.
      • Frascerra S.
      • et al.
      Shift to fatty substrate utilization in response to sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibition in subjects without diabetes and patients with type 2 diabetes.
      • Inzucchi S.E.
      • Zinman B.
      • Fitchett D.
      • et al.
      How does empagliflozin reduce cardiovascular mortality? Insights from a mediation analysis of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME Trial.
      Similar evidence of hemoconcentration has been consistently observed in several SGLT2i trials.
      • Griffin M.
      • Rao V.S.
      • Ivey-Miranda J.
      • et al.
      Empagliflozin in heart failure: diuretic and cardiorenal effects.
      ,
      • Sha S.
      • Polidori D.
      • Heise T.
      • et al.
      Effect of the sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor canagliflozin on plasma volume in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
      Diabetic cardiomyopathy is also counteracted by SGLT2 inhibition: myocardial metabolism is shifted from glucose and fatty acids use to ketones use, which is more energetically convenient.
      • Ferrannini E.
      • Baldi S.
      • Frascerra S.
      • et al.
      Shift to fatty substrate utilization in response to sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibition in subjects without diabetes and patients with type 2 diabetes.
      In experimental models, SGLT2i attenuate myocardial hypertrophy, potentially by reducing pericoronary fibrosis, coronary arterial thickening, and cardiac macrophage infiltration.
      • Lin B.
      • Koibuchi N.
      • Hasegawa Y.
      • et al.
      Glycemic control with empagliflozin, a novel selective SGLT2 inhibitor, ameliorates cardiovascular injury and cognitive dysfunction in obese and type 2 diabetic mice.
      ,
      • Lee T.M.
      • Chang N.C.
      • Lin S.Z.
      Dapagliflozin, a selective SGLT2 inhibitor, attenuated cardiac fibrosis by regulating the macrophage polarization via STAT3 signaling in infarcted rat hearts.
      This constituted the basis for the Effects of Empagliflozin on Cardiac Structure in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (EMPA-HEART) study, where empagliflozin reduced left ventricular mass after 6 months in 97 patients with T2DM with coronary artery disease.
      • Verma S.
      • Mazer C.D.
      • Yan A.T.
      • et al.
      Effect of empagliflozin on left ventricular mass in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease: the EMPA-HEART CardioLink-6 randomized clinical trial.
      However, the magnitude of such effects did not fully explain the striking results seen in HF trials: for example, in the trials in T2DM, the weight loss is of only 2 to 3 kg, and the blood pressure reduction is modest (systolic/diastolic: −3.6/-1.7 mm Hg).
      • Inzucchi S.E.
      • Zinman B.
      • Wanner C.
      • et al.
      SGLT-2 inhibitors and cardiovascular risk: proposed pathways and review of ongoing outcome trials.
      ,
      • Georgianos P.I.
      • Agarwal R.
      Ambulatory blood pressure reduction with SGLT-2 inhibitors: dose-response meta-analysis and comparative evaluation with low-dose hydrochlorothiazide.
      Moreover, these were changes from baseline to the end of trials, but Kaplan-Meier curves for HHF-related outcomes diverged after only a few weeks. Therefore, after the positive results in HF trials, other mechanisms are being investigated. Altered sodium handling in cardiomyocytes is involved in HF progression
      • Weber C.R.
      • Piacentino 3rd, V.
      • Houser S.R.
      • Bers D.M.
      Dynamic regulation of sodium/calcium exchange function in human heart failure.
      and the most important exchanger in sodium homeostasis, the sodium-nitrogen exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1), has an increased activity in HF.
      • Yokoyama H.
      • Gunasegaram S.
      • Harding S.E.
      • Avkiran M.
      Sarcolemmal Na+/H+ exchanger activity and expression in human ventricular myocardium.
      Indeed, its abnormal activation induces hypertrophy and hyperactivity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone, sympathetic, and natriuretic peptide systems.
      • Padan E.
      • Landau M.
      Sodium-proton (Na(+)/H(+)) antiporters: properties and roles in health and disease.
      SGLT2i directly inhibit NHE1 in HF models with and without diabetes, counteracting this detrimental activation.
      • Trum M.
      • Riechel J.
      • Lebek S.
      • et al.
      Empagliflozin inhibits Na(+)/H(+) exchanger activity in human atrial cardiomyocytes.
      • Yurista S.R.
      • Sillje H.H.W.
      • Oberdorf-Maass S.U.
      • et al.
      Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibition with empagliflozin improves cardiac function in non-diabetic rats with left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction.
      • Cappetta D.
      • De Angelis A.
      • Ciuffreda L.P.
      • et al.
      Amelioration of diastolic dysfunction by dapagliflozin in a non-diabetic model involves coronary endothelium.
      Moreover, this effect on cardiomyocyte ion homeostasis could be the mechanism underlying the association of SGLT2i treatment with reduced risk of arrhythmias, as suggested by a post hoc analysis of the DAPA-HF trial
      • Curtain J.P.
      • Docherty K.F.
      • Jhund P.S.
      • et al.
      Effect of dapagliflozin on ventricular arrhythmias, resuscitated cardiac arrest, or sudden death in DAPA-HF.
      and by a meta-analysis of SGLT2i trials in T2DM.
      • Fernandes G.C.
      • Fernandes A.
      • Cardoso R.
      • et al.
      Association of SGLT2 inhibitors with arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in patients with type 2 diabetes or heart failure: a meta-analysis of 34 randomized controlled trials.
      In addition, mitochondrial physiology is positively affected by normalization of sodium handling in the failing heart, restoring efficient energy supply, and reducing the formation of reactive oxygen species.
      • Liu T.
      • O'Rourke B.
      Enhancing mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in myocytes from failing hearts restores energy supply and demand matching.
      ,
      • Baartscheer A.
      • Schumacher C.A.
      • Wust R.C.
      • et al.
      Empagliflozin decreases myocardial cytoplasmic Na(+) through inhibition of the cardiac Na(+)/H(+) exchanger in rats and rabbits.
      Further lines of research have been suggested, investigating the effect of SGLT1 inhibition and thus of nonselective SGLT1/SGLT2i.
      • Young S.L.
      • Ryan L.
      • Mullins T.P.
      • et al.
      Sotagliflozin, a dual SGLT1/2 inhibitor, improves cardiac outcomes in a normoglycemic mouse model of cardiac pressure overload.
      ,
      • Pitt B.
      • Bhatt D.L.
      Does SGLT1 inhibition add benefit to SGLT2 inhibition in type 2 diabetes?.

      Disclosure

      The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose in relation to this present work. G.F. has received grant support from the Erling-Persson family foundation and from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, Sweden; and speaker fees from the European Society of Cardiology, outside of the present work. G.S. has received personal fees from Società Prodotti Antibiotici, Roche, Servier, GENESIS, Cytokinetics, and Medtronic; grants and personal fees from Vifor and AstraZeneca; grants and nonfinancial support from Boehringer-Ingelheim; and grants from Novartis, Boston Scientific, Bayer, United States, Merck, and Pharmacosmos outside the submitted work. F.C. reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, United Kingdom, Bayer, Germany, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Pfizer; and grants from Swedish Research Council, Sweden, Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, and the King Gustav V and Queen Victoria Foundation, outside the submitted work.

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