SGLT2 inhibitors and metformin: Dual antihyperglycemic therapy and the risk of metabolic acidosis in type 2 diabetes
Abstract
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) has risen in the United States and worldwide, with an increase in global prevalence from 4.7% to 8.5% between 1980 and 2014. A variety of antidiabetic drugs are available with different mechanisms of action, and multiple drugs are often used concomitantly to improve glycemic control. One of the newest classes of oral antihyperglycemic agents is the sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors or "flozins". Recent clinical guidelines have suggested the use of SGLT2 inhibitors as add-on therapy in patients for whom metformin alone does not achieve glycemic targets, or as initial dual therapy with metformin in patients who present with higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. The FDA has approved fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablets with each of the three available SGLT2 inhibitors (canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin) and metformin. Both drug classes are associated with the rare but serious life-threatening complications that result from metabolic acidosis, including lactic acidosis (with metformin) and euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (with SGLT2 inhibitors). This review summarizes the current literature on the pharmacokinetics and the molecular targets of metformin and SGLT2 inhibitors. It also addresses the common adverse effects and highlights the molecular mechanisms by which this dual antihyperglycemic therapy contributes to high anion gap metabolic acidosis. In conclusion, while the combination of…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Strategy for Mitigating DKA Risk in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes on Adjunctive Treatment with SGLT Inhibitors: A STICH Protocol
- Glucoraphanin: a broccoli sprout extract that ameliorates obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance
- SGLT2 Inhibitors in Heart Failure: Targeted Metabolomics and Energetic Metabolism
- Mechanisms of blood pressure reduction with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors
- Sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors: beyond glycaemic control
- Decoding the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac arrhythmias in heart failure
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.