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Chen X, Li X, Zhang K, Lian K, Zhang W, Song Y, Kan C, Zhang J, Han F, Sun X, Guo Z. The role of a novel mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, finerenone, in chronic kidney disease: mechanisms and clinical advances. Clin Exp Nephrol 2024; 28:125-135. [PMID: 37847437 DOI: 10.1007/s10157-023-02413-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a significant health risk in contemporary society. Current CKD treatments primarily involve renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, albeit associated with hyperkalemia risks. A novel selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, finerenone, offers a promising, safer alternative for CKD therapy. This review comprehensively assesses the role and efficacy of finerenone in CKD treatment by analyzing clinical and animal studies. Emerging evidence consistently supports finerenone's ability to effectively slow the progression of CKD. By targeting the mineralocorticoid receptor, finerenone not only mitigates renal damage but also exhibits a favorable safety profile, minimizing hyperkalemia concerns. CONCLUSION Finerenone emerges as a valuable addition to CKD therapy, demonstrating potential benefits in delaying CKD progression while minimizing side effects. Nevertheless, further clinical trials are necessary to provide a comprehensive understanding of its safety and efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinping Chen
- Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, 2428 Yuhe Road, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Xuan Li
- Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Kexin Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, 2428 Yuhe Road, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Kexin Lian
- Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Wenqiang Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, 2428 Yuhe Road, Weifang, 261031, China
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Yixin Song
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, 2428 Yuhe Road, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Chengxia Kan
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, 2428 Yuhe Road, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Jingwen Zhang
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, 2428 Yuhe Road, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Fang Han
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, 2428 Yuhe Road, Weifang, 261031, China
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China
| | - Xiaodong Sun
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China.
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, 2428 Yuhe Road, Weifang, 261031, China.
| | - Zhentao Guo
- Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China.
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261031, China.
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Chen W, Zheng L, Wang J, Lin Y, Zhou T. Overview of the safety, efficiency, and potential mechanisms of finerenone for diabetic kidney diseases. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1320603. [PMID: 38174337 PMCID: PMC10762446 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1320603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common disorder with numerous severe clinical implications. Due to a high level of fibrosis and inflammation that contributes to renal and cardiovascular disease (CVD), existing treatments have not effectively mitigated residual risk for patients with DKD. Excess activation of mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) plays a significant role in the progression of renal and CVD, mostly by stimulating fibrosis and inflammation. However, the application of traditional steroidal MR antagonists (MRAs) to DKD has been limited by adverse events. Finerenone (FIN), a third-generation non-steroidal selective MRA, has revealed anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects in pre-clinical studies. Current clinical trials, such as FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD and their combined analysis FIDELITY, have elucidated that FIN reduces the kidney and CV composite outcomes and risk of hyperkalemia compared to traditional steroidal MRAs in patients with DKD. As a result, FIN should be regarded as one of the mainstays of treatment for patients with DKD. In this review, the safety, efficiency, and potential mechanisms of FIN treatment on the renal system in patients with DKD is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Tianbiao Zhou
- Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
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Kintscher U, Edelmann F. The non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2023; 22:162. [PMID: 37386461 PMCID: PMC10311906 DOI: 10.1186/s12933-023-01899-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Finerenone is a novel non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist (MRA) with high binding affinity, high MR selectivity and a short plasma half-life. In two major endpoint-driven clinical trials in patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus (FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD), finerenone induced significant cardiorenal protective actions, and has been recently approved for treatment of these patients. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a devastating clinical syndrome with increasing prevalence and poor prognosis. Pharmacological therapy of HFpEF is very limited and new therapeutic options are urgently needed. Finerenone has been shown to improve multiple pathophysiological parameters of HFpEF in preclinical models. In consonance, pre-specified subgroup analyses of FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD suggested a potential beneficial effect of finerenone in HFpEF. This review will discuss the pharmacodynamic and -kinetic profile of finerenone. We will provide a general overview over the complex pathophysiology of HFpEF and data from pre-clinical studies, focusing on how finerenone improves multiple components of this pathophysiology. Finally, we will discuss current and future clinical trials with finerenone in heart failure patients focusing on HFpEF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Kintscher
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Max Rubner Center for Cardiovascular Metabolic Renal Research, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Frank Edelmann
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, 13353, Berlin, Germany
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Jerome JR, Deliyanti D, Suphapimol V, Kolkhof P, Wilkinson-Berka JL. Finerenone, a Non-Steroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist, Reduces Vascular Injury and Increases Regulatory T-Cells: Studies in Rodents with Diabetic and Neovascular Retinopathy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032334. [PMID: 36768656 PMCID: PMC9917037 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Vision loss in diabetic retinopathy features damage to the blood-retinal barrier and neovascularization, with hypertension and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) having causal roles. We evaluated if finerenone, a non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist, reduced vascular pathology and inflammation in diabetic and neovascular retinopathy. Diabetic and hypertensive transgenic (mRen-2)27 rats overexpressing the RAS received the MR antagonist finerenone (10 mg/kg/day, oral gavage) or the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor perindopril (10 mg/kg/day, drinking water) for 12 weeks. As retinal neovascularization does not develop in diabetic rodents, finerenone (5 mg/kg/day, i.p.) was evaluated in murine oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Retinal vasculopathy was assessed by measuring gliosis, vascular leakage, neovascularization, and VEGF. Inflammation was investigated by quantitating retinal microglia/macrophages, pro-inflammatory mediators, and anti-inflammatory regulatory T-cells (Tregs). In diabetes, both treatments reduced systolic blood pressure, gliosis, vascular leakage, and microglial/macrophage density, but only finerenone lowered VEGF, ICAM-1, and IL-1ß. In OIR, finerenone reduced neovascularization, vascular leakage, and microglial density, and increased Tregs in the blood, spleen, and retina. Our findings, in the context of the FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD trials reporting the benefits of finerenone on renal and cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic kidney disease, indicate the potential of finerenone as an effective oral treatment for diabetic retinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack R. Jerome
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Devy Deliyanti
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Varaporn Suphapimol
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | | | - Jennifer L. Wilkinson-Berka
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Correspondence:
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Potential Impact of Non-Steroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Cardiovascular Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24031922. [PMID: 36768246 PMCID: PMC9915890 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24031922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Inappropriate mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation in different cardiovascular cell types has deleterious effects on cardiac remodeling and function. Therefore, MR inhibition is a crucial pharmacological strategy to overcome cardiovascular dysfunction. Despite efficient blockade of MR with steroidal MR antagonists (MRAs), their clinical application is unsatisfactory due to the adverse effects. Newer non-steroidal MRAs with greater potency could be suitable for clinical application, especially in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. Although clinical evidence has shown the beneficial effects of non-steroidal MRAs on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, clinical trials are ongoing to evaluate the efficacy of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Therefore, comparative pharmacological characterization of non-steroidal MRAs over classic steroidal MRAs is crucial. Here, we summarize the pre-clinical evidence of non-steroidal MRAs, which suggests an improvement in cardiac dysfunction, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms in animal models mimicking different clinical conditions. In addition, we discuss up-to-date information from clinical trials regarding the beneficial effects of non-steroidal MRAs on meaningful cardiovascular outcomes. Both pre-clinical and clinical evidence support treatment with non-steroidal MRAs in patients with cardiovascular disease.
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Nonsteroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonism by Finerenone—Translational Aspects and Clinical Perspectives across Multiple Organ Systems. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169243. [PMID: 36012508 PMCID: PMC9408839 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception of the role of the aldosterone/mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) ensemble has been extended from a previously renal epithelial-centered focus on sodium and volume homeostasis to an understanding of their role as systemic modulators of reactive oxygen species, inflammation, and fibrosis. Steroidal MR antagonists (MRAs) are included in treatment paradigms for resistant hypertension and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, while more recently, the nonsteroidal MRA finerenone was shown to reduce renal and cardiovascular outcomes in two large phase III trials (FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD) in patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes, respectively. Here, we provide an overview of the pathophysiologic role of MR overactivation and preclinical evidence with the nonsteroidal MRA finerenone in a range of different disease models with respect to major components of the aggregate mode of action, including interfering with reactive oxygen species generation, inflammation, fibrosis, and hypertrophy. We describe a time-dependent effect of these mechanistic components and the potential modification of major clinical parameters, as well as the impact on clinical renal and cardiovascular outcomes as observed in FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD. Finally, we provide an outlook on potential future clinical indications and ongoing clinical studies with finerenone, including a combination study with a sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor.
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