Research Information System
FEBS OPEN BIO, vol.15, no.Supplement 2, pp.360-361, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Empagliflozin (EMPA) is a selective sodium-glucosecotransporter 2 inhibitor used as antihyperglycemic agent.Evidence also suggests its cardiovascular protective effects. Incardiovascular diseases, therapeutic angiogenesis is vitallyvaluable as it promotes the growth of new blood vessels frompre-existing ones to transport oxygen and nutrients to tissue.Diabetic neuropathies are important complications of diabetesand angiogenesis is required for wound healing. However, studiesabout the effects of EMPA on angiogenesis are limited. Ourpreliminary study showed that EMPA induces hydrogen sulfide(H2 S) formation, which is an angiogenic gasotransmitter[Papapetropoulos A et al. (2009) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106,21972–21977]. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate theeffects of EMPA on angiogenesis via CAM assay. Fertilizedchicken eggs (n = 8 per concentration) were obtained andincubated. Whatman filter disks with vehicle or EMPA (5, 10,and 100 μM) were applied to CAMs on day 8. Prior toapplication, 4 mL of albumen was removed on day 5, and shellwindows were created to expose the CAMs. After 24-hourincubation, vascularity was scored (0-4) in a blinded manner.Non-viable or abnormal embryos were excluded. One wayANOVA results showed that EMPA has a biphasic,concentration-dependent effect on angiogenesis, with inhibitoryeffects at low concentrations (5 μM) and stimulatory effects athigh concentrations (10 μM and 100 μM) compared to control.The findings highlight the therapeutic potential of EMPA bypromoting vascularization in vascular pathologies, beyond itsmetabolic effects. As both VEGF and H2 S are important angiogenic stimulators and it is known that EMPA stimulatesVEGF expression and our preliminary result found that itinduces H2 S formation, H2 S/VEGF pathway may be potentialmechanism for angiogenic effect of EMPA. However furthermolecular studies are required to elucidate the mechanismsunderlying these effects