Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Empagliflozin Reduces Interleukin-6 Levels in Patients With Heart Failure

Michael Gotzmann
* ORCID logo ,
Pauline Henk
,
Ulrik Stervbo
ORCID logo ,
Arturo Blázquez-Navarro
,
Andreas Mügge
ORCID logo ,
Nina Babel
,
Timm H. Westhoff
Version 1 : Received: 30 May 2023 / Approved: 1 June 2023 / Online: 1 June 2023 (03:33:38 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Gotzmann, M.; Henk, P.; Stervbo, U.; Blázquez-Navarro, A.; Mügge, A.; Babel, N.; Westhoff, T.H. Empagliflozin Reduces Interleukin-6 Levels in Patients with Heart Failure. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 4458. Gotzmann, M.; Henk, P.; Stervbo, U.; Blázquez-Navarro, A.; Mügge, A.; Babel, N.; Westhoff, T.H. Empagliflozin Reduces Interleukin-6 Levels in Patients with Heart Failure. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 4458.

Abstract

Background: Inhibition of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of diabetic and non-diabetic patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. The present prospective study investigates for the first time the effect of empagliflozin on various soluble markers of inflammation in HFrEF. Methods: We included 50 inpatients with HFrEF and diabetes mellitus type 2. Half of the patients received a therapy with the SGLT-2-inhibitor empagliflozin in addition to standard medication, the other half of the patients did not receive empagliflozin and were considered as control group. Quality of life, functional status and soluble immunological parameters in serum were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Results: Baseline characteristics of both groups revealed no significant differences. Patients on empagliflozin demonstrated a significant improvement in the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (baseline 44.2 ± 20.2 vs. 24 ± 17.7; p<0.001), in distance in the 6-minute walk test (baseline 343 ± 145 m vs. 450 ± 115 m; p<0.001) and in soluble interleukin-6 level (baseline 21.7 ± 21.8 pg/ml vs. 13.7 ± 15.8 pg/ml; p=0.008). There was no significant change of these or other parameters in the control group (p>0.05 each). Conclusions: The empagliflozin-induced improvement of quality of life and functional capacity in patients with HFrEF and type 2 diabetes mellitus is accompanied by a substantial reduction of interleukin-6 levels. Thus, antiinflammatory effects may contribute to the benefits of SGLT2-inhibitors in heart failure.

Keywords

SGLT2 inhibition; empagliflozin; heart failure; interleukin 6

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.