A new study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine found that an FDA-approved antidiabetic drug may also decrease blood vessel dysfunction linked to aging, Science Daily reported.

The team initially examined how aging affected blood vessel function and evaluated the effect of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin (Empa), which improved the vascular health of aging mice.

Dr. Camille Manrique-Acevedo, an associate professor of medicine, said that additional approaches are necessary to improve the vascular health of older adults aside from weight loss, physical activity, and taking antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs, given that cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death among older adults in the US.

Drug For Type 2 Diabetes Can Also Decrease Blood Vessel Dysfunction, Improving Vascular Health in Older Adults
(Photo : Pixabay/Vector8DIY)
Drug For Type 2 Diabetes Can Also Decrease Blood Vessel Dysfunction, Improving Vascular Health in Older Adults

Impact of Aging on Vascular Health

Aging takes a toll on the heart and blood vessels that's why many older adults end up having heart disease. According to Medline, aging could affect the heart and blood vessels in different ways.

For example, some pathways of the heart may develop fibrous tissue and fat deposits in the heart as people age. It could result in the loss of some cells, which leads to a slower heart rate. 

Older adults may also have a slight increase in heart size, especially the left ventricle, because the heart wall thickens and the amount of blood it can hold decreases.

Furthermore, the ECG of a healthy older person differs from the ECH of a younger adult as arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation become more common, which leads to several types of heart disease.

The baroreceptors that monitor blood pressure become less sensitive as a person ages in terms of blood vessels. This explains why many older adults could have orthostatic hypotension that causes dizziness due to less blood flow to the brain.

Likewise, the blood also slightly increases because there is less fluid in the bloodstream, so blood volume decreases. Red blood cells respond to stress and illness, but aging decreases them and creates a slower response to anemia and blood loss. Similarly, white blood cells also decrease in number and ability to fight off bacteria.

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Investigating the Effects of an Antidiabetic Drug on Vascular Aging

Empa is a drug that lowers blood sugar levels among adults with Type 2 diabetes, which is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation. In the new study, researchers investigated the effects of Empa on vascular aging in 72-week-old male mice that were divided into two groups.

The experiment group consisted of 29 mice fed a diet enriched in Empa, while the control group was fed with standard food, New Medical Life Sciences reported.

The experiment took six weeks to complete in which scientists discovered that the mice in the experimental group had an improved blood vessel function, reduced arterial stiffness, and other vascular benefits.

Manrique-Acevedo said that it was the first study that examined the potential benefits of SGLT2 inhibition in reversing vascular aging. She also highlighted the need for further clinical investigations to support the findings for developing new therapeutic tools to delay or reverse vascular aging in humans.

They discuss their findings in full in the study titled, "SGLT2 Inhibition Attenuates Arterial Dysfunction and Decreases Vascular F-Actin Content and Expression of Proteins Associated With Oxidative Stress in Aged Mice," published in the journal GeroScience.

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