Drug discovery offers potential treatment for common kidney disease (Endothelin-A-only antagonists)

Medical Xpress / Science Translational Medicine ^ | Dec. 14, 2022 | Alicja Czopek et al

[ConservativeMind]

A serious condition that can cause the kidneys to suddenly stop working could be treated with existing medicines, a new study shows.

In a study in mice, scientists found that medicines usually used to treat angina and high blood pressure prevented much of the long-term damage to the kidney and cardiovascular system caused by acute kidney injury (AKI).

The condition is usually caused by other illnesses that reduce blood flow to the kidney, or due to toxicity arising from some medicines.

AKI must be treated quickly to prevent death. Even if the kidneys recover, AKI can cause long lasting damage to the kidneys and the cardiovascular system.

Of those who survive an episode of AKI, 30% are left with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The remaining 70% that recover full kidney function are at an almost 30-fold increased risk of developing CKD.

A team from the University of Edinburgh found that patients with AKI had increased blood levels of endothelin—a protein that activates inflammation and causes blood vessels to constrict. Endothelin levels remained high long after kidney function had recovered.

After finding the same increase in endothelin in mice with AKI, experts treated the animals with medicines that block the endothelin system. The medicines, normally used to treat angina and high blood pressure, work by stopping the production of endothelin or by shutting off endothelin receptors in cells.

The mice were monitored over a four-week period after AKI. Those that were treated with the endothelin-blocking medicines had lower blood pressure, less inflammation and reduced scarring in the kidney.

Their blood vessels were more relaxed and kidney function was also improved, compared with untreated mice.

"This promising research suggests that widely available medicines could help to tackle the impact of acute kidney injury before it can cause damage and further complications."

[ConservativeMind]

This write up doesn’t say the drugs and the study is not free, but the abstract does say the drugs are strictly only Endothelin-A antagonists, and not the combo Endothelin-A & B antagonist drugs, which did not help, at all.

These are available for use, today.

[ConservativeMind]

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[LittleBillyInfidel]

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[ConservativeMind]

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Bkmk

[ConservativeMind]

From Wikipedia:

“Selective ETA receptor antagonists (sitaxentan, ambrisentan, atrasentan, BQ-123, sparsentan, zibotentan, avosentan, aprocitentan, edonentan), which affect endothelin A receptors.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endothelin_receptor_antagonist