BOSTON – The SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin may increase red blood cell production by suppressing plasma levels of hepcidin, a proinflammatory inhibitor of iron transport, according to results of a randomized study.
This reduction in hepcidin provides a new mechanistic explanation for the improvement in hematocrit seen with SGLT2 inhibitor treatment and suggests a role for use of these drugs beyond their current indications, according to researcher Husam A. Ghanim, PhD, of the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Dr. Husam A. Ghanim
To see whether there were other mechanisms involved beyond hemoconcentration caused by diuretic effects of the drugs, Dr. Ghanim and his colleagues investigated the possibility that dapagliflozin might suppress concentrations of hepcidin concentrations, thereby increasing erythropoiesis.
Their study included 22 patients with type 2 diabetes and normal renal function randomized to dapagliflozin 10 mg daily or placebo for 12 weeks.
They found that the plasma concentration of hepcidin fell significantly over that time period, from 265 to 215 ng/mL in dapagliflozin-treated patients. They also saw significant decreases in hemoglobin A1c, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit, as well as an increase in transferrin, the major transporter of iron in the circulation, over 12 weeks.