Empagliflozin reverts the diet-induced NLRP-3 inflammasome activation.

What is it about?

Empagliflozin is a SGLT2 inhibitor and one of the most recent antidiabetic drugs approved. In this study, the beneficial effects exerted by this drug on metabolic derangements associated with an hypercaloric diet (body weight increase, insulin sensitivity impairment, hepatic hypertriglyceridemia and renal disfunction) have been demonstrated in mice. Moreover, empagliflozin has been shown to significantly decrease both the NLRP-3 inflammasome activation (a marker of inflammation) and the hepatic/cardiac lipid accumulation induced by the diet.

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Why is it important?

This study suggests that NLRP-3 inflammasome inhibition may contribute to the empagliflozin therapeutic effects and that this drug is able to counteract lipid accumulation not only in liver but also in the heart, effect that may contribute to the cardiovascular protection exerted by SGLT-2 inhibitors.