Empagliflozin for No-reflow Phenomenon in PCI for STEMI

Summary

Myocardial infarction remains, in our current era, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality both domestically and globally. A significant contributor to this issue is reperfusion injury, which enlarges the infarction, deteriorates ventricular function, leads to poorer outcomes, and currently has no specific treatment. Originally developed as an antidiabetic, empagliflozin has shown significant benefits in other organs and systems. Recent years have seen the demonstration of its cellular and vascular effects in animal models, potentially contributing to the reduction of reperfusion damage. However, no human studies have yet confirmed these effects. Consequently, this randomized, parallel-arm clinical trial was designed to evaluate the effect of empagliflozin treatment, administered from the pre-intervention period through to 3 days post-intervention, on the incidence of the no-reflow phenomenon in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing coronary angioplasty compared to a placebo. Before entering the hemodynamics room, participants in the intervention group will receive a loading dose of 25 mg of empagliflozin or a standar treatment. In-hospital treatment will continue with 10 mg empagliflozin daily for 3 days for the intervention group. Patients will be monitored weekly during the first month and bi-weekly during the second and third months. The primary outcome will be the incidence of the no-reflow phenomenon, measured through the Thrombolysis in Myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow scale in the coronary angiography performed to treat the infarction. Secondary outcomes will include the reduction of ST segment on the electrocardiogram, troponin levels, differences in the longitudinal strain by echocardiogram, and infarct size by magnetic resonance imaging.

Timeline

Start

2024-08-22

Primary completion

2026-03-15

Completion

2026-06-15

Publications

• Background Niccoli G, Kharbanda RK, Crea F, Banning AP. No-reflow: again prevention is better than treatment. Eur Heart J. 2010 Oct;31(20):2449-55. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehq299. Epub 2010 Sep 13. No abstract available.
• Background Tasar O, Karabay AK, Oduncu V, Kirma C. Predictors and outcomes of no-reflow phenomenon in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Coron Artery Dis. 2019 Jun;30(4):270-276. doi: 10.1097/MCA.0000000000000726.
• Background Niccoli G, Burzotta F, Galiuto L, Crea F. Myocardial no-reflow in humans. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009 Jul 21;54(4):281-92. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2009.03.054.
• Background Annibali G, Scrocca I, Aranzulla TC, Meliga E, Maiellaro F, Musumeci G. "No-Reflow" Phenomenon: A Contemporary Review. J Clin Med. 2022 Apr 16;11(8):2233. doi: 10.3390/jcm11082233.
• Results Sayour AA, Korkmaz-Icoz S, Loganathan S, Ruppert M, Sayour VN, Olah A, Benke K, Brune M, Benko R, Horvath EM, Karck M, Merkely B, Radovits T, Szabo G. Acute canagliflozin treatment protects against in vivo myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in non-diabetic male rats and enhances endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. J Transl Med. 2019 Apr 16;17(1):127. doi: 10.1186/s12967-019-1881-8.
• Results Cooper S, Teoh H, Campeau MA, Verma S, Leask RL. Empagliflozin restores the integrity of the endothelial glycocalyx in vitro. Mol Cell Biochem. 2019 Sep;459(1-2):121-130. doi: 10.1007/s11010-019-03555-2. Epub 2019 May 24.
• Results Lahnwong C, Palee S, Apaijai N, Sriwichaiin S, Kerdphoo S, Jaiwongkam T, Chattipakorn SC, Chattipakorn N. Acute dapagliflozin administration exerts cardioprotective effects in rats with cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2020 Jun 15;19(1):91. doi: 10.1186/s12933-020-01066-9.
• Results Shao Q, Meng L, Lee S, Tse G, Gong M, Zhang Z, Zhao J, Zhao Y, Li G, Liu T. Empagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor, alleviates atrial remodeling and improves mitochondrial function in high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2019 Nov 28;18(1):165. doi: 10.1186/s12933-019-0964-4.
• Results Kolijn D, Pabel S, Tian Y, Lodi M, Herwig M, Carrizzo A, Zhazykbayeva S, Kovacs A, Fulop GA, Falcao-Pires I, Reusch PH, Linthout SV, Papp Z, van Heerebeek L, Vecchione C, Maier LS, Ciccarelli M, Tschope C, Mugge A, Bagi Z, Sossalla S, Hamdani N. Empagliflozin improves endothelial and cardiomyocyte function in human heart failure with preserved ejection fraction via reduced pro-inflammatory-oxidative pathways and protein kinase Galpha oxidation. Cardiovasc Res. 2021 Jan 21;117(2):495-507. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvaa123.
• Results Lu Q, Liu J, Li X, Sun X, Zhang J, Ren D, Tong N, Li J. Empagliflozin attenuates ischemia and reperfusion injury through LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2020 Feb 5;501:110642. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110642. Epub 2019 Nov 21.
• Results Tan Y, Yu K, Liang L, Liu Y, Song F, Ge Q, Fang X, Yu T, Huang Z, Jiang L, Wang P. Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibition With Empagliflozin Improves Cardiac Function After Cardiac Arrest in Rats by Enhancing Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Oct 12;12:758080. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.758080. eCollection 2021.
• Results Uthman L, Li X, Baartscheer A, Schumacher CA, Baumgart P, Hermanides J, Preckel B, Hollmann MW, Coronel R, Zuurbier CJ, Weber NC. Empagliflozin reduces oxidative stress through inhibition of the novel inflammation/NHE/[Na+]c/ROS-pathway in human endothelial cells. Biomed Pharmacother. 2022 Feb;146:112515. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112515. Epub 2021 Dec 9.
• Results Seo MS, Jung HS, An JR, Kang M, Heo R, Li H, Han ET, Yang SR, Cho EH, Bae YM, Park WS. Empagliflozin dilates the rabbit aorta by activating PKG and voltage-dependent K+ channels. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2020 Sep 15;403:115153. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2020.115153. Epub 2020 Jul 24.
• Results Zou R, Shi W, Qiu J, Zhou N, Du N, Zhou H, Chen X, Ma L. Empagliflozin attenuates cardiac microvascular ischemia/reperfusion injury through improving mitochondrial homeostasis. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2022 Jun 15;21(1):106. doi: 10.1186/s12933-022-01532-6.
• Solis-Jimenez F, Araiza-Garaygordobil D, Masso-Bueso JS, Villalobos-Ordaz A, Arellano-Juvera F, Arredondo-Aragon F, Melendez-Ramirez G, Valdez-Ortiz R, Alday-Ramirez SM, Rodriguez-Zanella HG, Amezcua Guerra LM, Arias-Mendoza MA, Martinez-Rios MA, Arias-Sanchez EA, Eid-Lidt G. Effect of empagliflozin on reducing the no-reflow phenomenon in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: rationale and design of the EMPA-PCI trial. Eur Heart J Open. 2025 Oct 5;5(6):oeaf128. doi: 10.1093/ehjopen/oeaf128. eCollection 2025 Nov.

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