Empagliflozin improves circulating vascular regenerative cell content in people without diabetes with risk factors for adverse cardiac remodeling
Ehab Bakbak, Subodh Verma, Aishwarya Krishnaraj, Adrian Quan, Chao‐Hung Wang, Yi Pan, Pankaj Puar, Tamique Mason, Raj Verma, Daniella C. Terenzi, Ori D. Rotstein, Andrew T. Yan, Kim A. Connelly, Hwee Teoh, C. David Mazer, David A. Hess
Abstract
Using an aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity-based flow cytometry assay, we found that empagliflozin treatment for 6 mo was associated with parallel increases in circulating vascular regenerative ALDH hi -CD34/CD133-coexpressing progenitors and decreased proinflammatory ALDH hi -CD14/CD86-coexpressing monocyte precursors in individuals without diabetes but with cardiovascular risk factors. The rejuvenation of the vascular regenerative cell reservoir may represent a mechanism via which sodium glucose-cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors limit maladaptive repair and delay the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases.