Sodium–glucose co-transporter 2 inhibition with empagliflozin improves cardiac function in rats after cardiac arrest

Background: Sodium–glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibition reduces hyperglycaemia and has beneficial effects in heart failure. However, the effect of SGLT2 inhibition with empagliflozin on acute myocardial dysfunction after cardiac arrest (CA) remains unknown. Methods: : Non-diabetic male Sprague–Dawley rats underwent ventricular fibrillation to induce CA, or sham surgery. Rats received 10 mg/kg of empagliflozin or vehicle at 10 minutes after return of spontaneous circulation by intraperitoneal injection. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography, histological analysis, molecular markers of myocardial injury, oxidative stress, mitochondrial ultrastructural integrity and metabolism. Results: : Empagliflozin did not influence heart rate and blood pressure, but left ventricular function and survival time were significantly higher in the empagliflozin treated group compared to the group treated with vehicle. Empagliflozin also reduced myocardial contraction band necrosis, myocardial fibrosis, serum cardiac troponin I levels and myocardial oxidative stress after CA. Moreover, empagliflozin maintained the structural integrity of myocardial mitochondria and increased mitochondrial activity after CA. In addition, empagliflozin increased circulating and myocardial ketone levels as well as myocardial expression of the 𝛽-hydroxy butyrate dehydrogenase 1. Together these metabolic changes were associated with an increase in cardiac ATP production. Conclusions: : Empagliflozin favorably affects cardiac function in non-diabetic rats with acute myocardial dysfunction after CA, associated with reducing glucose levels and increasing ketone body oxidized metabolism. Our data suggest that empagliflozin might be of benefit in patients with acute myocardial dysfunction after CA.