[의학신문·일간보사=김현기 기자] It is noteworthy that the study results showed that the combined administration of a SGLT2 inhibitor and a DPP4 inhibitor was effective for diabetes that occurs after kidney transplantation.
A research team led by Professor Yang Cheol-woo (corresponding author), Professor Ko Eun-jeong (first author), and Research Professor Lim Seon-woo of the Institute of Clinical Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University of Korea, recently administered the combined administration of SGLT2 inhibitor and DPP4 inhibitor in diabetic rats induced by the immunosuppressant tacrolimus. effect was studied.
As a result, it was found that when the SGLT2 inhibitor and DPP4 inhibitor, a new type 2 diabetes drug, were administered together, they showed a synergistic effect in the treatment of diabetes caused by tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant taken after a kidney transplant.
In addition, the research team confirmed that the combination treatment was better in controlling diabetes than when administered alone (Figures 1 and 2). In addition, the combined administration of the two drugs was shown to have a synergistic effect in protecting the pancreas and kidneys (Figures 3 and 4).
According to the research team, if diabetes develops after kidney transplantation, it can shorten the lifespan of the transplanted kidney and increase cardiovascular complications, which can even threaten the life of the patient.
There are various factors that cause diabetes after transplantation, but if you take tacrolimus, a representative immunosuppressant used to prevent rejection after a kidney transplant, for a long time, about 30% of patients will develop diabetes, so caution is needed.
Recently, the SGLT2 drug and DPP4 inhibitor have been in the spotlight as a treatment for type 2 diabetes due to their mechanisms differentiated from existing diabetes drugs. explanation of
However, through this study, the research team suggested a new treatment direction for diabetes that occurs after kidney transplantation, and is expected to provide hope for the treatment of diabetes in transplant patients in the future.
Professor Yang Cheol-woo said, “Until now, there was no treatment manual for patients who developed diabetes after transplantation, so it was applied to the treatment for type 2 diabetes patients. By proving this, we have presented a new standard of treatment for diabetes in organ transplant patients.”
He added, “The combined administration of a SGTL2 inhibitor and a DPP4 inhibitor not only lowers blood sugar, but also has a synergistic effect in protecting the kidneys and pancreas from damage, so it is expected to be effective in preventing cardiovascular complications in kidney transplant patients.”
Meanwhile, the results of this study were published on March 16 in the ‘American Journal of Transplantation (IF 8.086)’, the official academic journal of the American Society for Transplantation. In recognition of the part that revealed the point and the treatment mechanism, it was selected as the best abstract at the American Society for Transplantation to be held in Boston, USA in June.