Background: Emerging evidence suggests that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular and renal events in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. However, no study to date has compared the effect of SGLT-2 inhibitors with that of GLP-1 RAs in type 2 DM patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We herein investigated the benefits of SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 RAs in CKD patients. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search through November 2020. We selected randomized control trials that compared the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and a composite of renal outcomes. We performed a network meta-analysis to compare SGLT-2 inhibitors with GLP-1 RAs indirectly. Risk ratios (RRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were synthesized. Results: Thirteen studies were selected with a total of 32,949 patients. SGLT-2 inhibitors led to a risk reduction in MACE and renal events (RR [95% CI]; 0.85 [0.75–0.96] and 0.68 [0.59–0.78], respectively). However, GLP-1 RAs did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular or renal adverse events (RR 0.91 [0.80–1.04] and 0.86 [0.72–1.03], respectively). Compared to GLP-1 RAs, SGLT-2 inhibitors did not demonstrate a significant difference in MACE (RR 0.94 [0.78–1.12]), while SGLT-2 inhibitors were associated with a lower risk of renal events compared to GLP-1 RAs (RR 0.79 [0.63–0.99]). A sensitivity analysis revealed that GLP-1 analogues significantly decreased MACE when compared to placebo treatment (RR 0.81 [0.69–0.95]), while exendin-4 analogues did not (RR 1.03 [0.88–1.20]). Conclusions: In patients with type 2 DM and CKD, SGLT-2 inhibitors were associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular and renal events, but GLP-1 RAs were not. SGLT-2 inhibitors significantly decreased the risk of renal events compared to GLP-1 RAs. Among GLP-1 RAs, GLP-1 analogues showed a positive impact on cardiovascular and renal outcomes, while exendin-4 analogues did not.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a potent mediator of inflammation and is involved in the pathophysiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the effects of TNF-α inhibition on the progression of kidney fibrosis have not been fully elucidated. We examined the effects of TNF-α inhibition by etanercept (ETN) on kidney inflammation and fibrosis in mice with aristolochic acid (AA) nephropathy as a model of kidney fibrosis. C57BL/6 J mice were administered AA for 4 weeks, followed by a 4-week remodeling period. The mice exhibited kidney fibrosis, functional decline, and albuminuria concomitant with increases in renal mRNA expression of inflammation- and fibrosis-related genes. The 8-week ETN treatment partially but significantly attenuated kidney fibrosis and ameliorated albuminuria without affecting kidney function. These findings were accompanied by significant suppression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and collagen types I and III mRNA expression. Moreover, ETN tended to reduce the AA-induced increase in interstitial TUNEL-positive cells with a significant reduction in Bax mRNA expression. Renal phosphorylated p38 MAPK was significantly upregulated by AA but was normalized by ETN. These findings indicate a substantial role for the TNF-α pathway in the pathogenesis of kidney fibrosis and suggest that TNF-α inhibition could become an adjunct therapeutic strategy for CKD with fibrosis.

Background: The kidney is easily affected by aging‐associated changes, including glomerulosclerosis, tubular atrophy, and interstitial fibrosis. Particularly, renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a final common pathway in most forms of progressive renal disease. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor ( AT 1R)‐associated protein ( ATRAP ), which was originally identified as a molecule that binds to AT 1R, is highly expressed in the kidney. Previously, we have shown that ATRAP suppresses hyperactivation of AT 1R signaling, but does not affect physiological AT 1R signaling. Methods and Results: We hypothesized that ATRAP has a novel functional role in the physiological age‐degenerative process, independent of modulation of AT 1R signaling. ATRAP ‐knockout mice were used to study the functional involvement of ATRAP in the aging. ATRAP ‐knockout mice exhibit a normal age‐associated appearance without any evident alterations in physiological parameters, including blood pressure and cardiovascular and metabolic phenotypes. However, in ATRAP ‐knockout mice compared with wild‐type mice, the following takes place: (1) age‐associated renal function decline and tubulointerstitial fibrosis are more enhanced; (2) renal tubular mitochondrial abnormalities and subsequent increases in the production of reactive oxygen species are more advanced; and (3) life span is 18.4% shorter (median life span, 100.4 versus 123.1 weeks). As a key mechanism, age‐related pathological changes in the kidney of ATRAP ‐knockout mice correlated with decreased expression of the prosurvival gene, Sirtuin1 . On the other hand, chronic angiotensin II infusion did not affect renal sirtuin1 expression in wild‐type mice. Conclusions: These results indicate that ATRAP plays an important role in inhibiting kidney aging, possibly through sirtuin1‐mediated mechanism independent of blocking AT 1R signaling, and further protecting normal life span.