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#4534 finerenone added to RAS/SGLT2 blockade for NON-diabetic chronic kidney disease: results of a preclinical double-blinded randomized controlled trial

Zhihui Zhu, Yoshihiro Kusunoki, K. Rosenkranz, Chenyu Li, Martin Klaus, O. Gross, M. Angelotti, L. Cirillo et al.

Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, 2023

Abstract

Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), sodium-glucose transporter (SGLT)-2, and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) have all demonstrated renoprotective effects in large clinical trials of diabetes-related CKD. Furthermore, dual RAS/SGLT2 blockade showed additive renoprotective effects also in non-diabetic CKD. We hypothesized that triple RAS/SGLT2/MR blockade would be even superior to dual RAS/SGLT2 blockade in non-diabetic CKD.

We performed a “no touch” preclinical randomized controlled trial in Col4a3-deficient mice with spontaneous and progressive CKD (registry ID: PCTE0000266). Treatments were administered as food admix from 6-14 weeks of age at the following estimated doses: 10 mg/kg ramipril, 30 mg/kg empagliflozin, 10 mg/kg finerenone. The prespecified primary endpoint was total lifespan up to uremic death. Ancillary studies addressed baseline histology, and mechanistic studies on a subset of mice after 2.5 weeks of treatment.

At the time of randomization, Col4a3-/- mice had albuminuria, elevated serum creatinine, glomerulosclerosis, tubular atrophy, and interstitial fibrosis. Total lifespan was 63.7 ± 9.99 days (vehicle), 77.25 ± 5.34 days (ramipril), 80.3 ± 10.98 days (ramipril+empagliflozin), and 103.05 ± 20.28 days (triple therapy), respectively. Artificial intelligence-based histopathology and RNA sequencing analysis documented a potent anti-sclerotic, -inflammation and -fibrotic effect of the triple combination.

Adding finereone to dual RAS/SGLT2…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.

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