SGLT-2 Inhibitor Effects on Cardiac and Hepatic Metabolic Profiles for the Diabetes Patients Combined With Obesity

Obesity is closely associated with an increased risk of cardiomyopathy because of the high metabolic activity of excessive fat while effective treatment of obesity-related cardiomyopathy is currently unsolved. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) are a class of diabetic medications. Besides improving glucose control, SGLT2-i has been shown to be able to reduce the bodyweight as well as the mortality and hospitalization rates for heart failure and cardiovascular disease in the type 2 diabetes patients. It has been proposed that the heart protection by SGLT2-i might be caused by modulating the production of adipokine and cytokine. The investigators will enrolled 40 patients (diabetes mellitus with BMI\>27 Kg/m2) from obesity weight-reduction clinics: 1) 20 patients treated with SGLT2-i (CANA) and regular weight-reduction plan; 2) 20 patients with regular weight reduction plan, without CANA, for 4 weeks. The investigators will compare the variation of Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) related proteins and RNA between these 2 groups of subjects. The investigators will arrange cardiac ultrasound, hepatic MRI and fibroscan, body composition dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to evaluate the possible mechanisms underlying the liver and heart modification process, as a scientific basis for precision medicine in the future. Conclusions: SGLT2-i treatment may increase the concentration of FGF21, either in the liver or heart, thus to protect the high-fat diet induced obesity associated heart dysfunction by activating FGF21 downstream protein expression.