First patient study investigating apelin as a target for kidney disease shows promising results
In new results, published in Nature Communications, Dr Fiona Chapman, Professor Neeraj Dhaun and the team from the University of Edinburgh, with support from Kidney Research UK, conducted the first clinical trial looking at the effects of apelin in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Why apelin?
Despite recent improvements in treatment options for patients living with CKD, there is still a need for new approaches. CKD is a growing public health concern, with around 7.2 million people currently living with the disease, and this patient group is at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Apelin is of particular interest for patients with CKD, as previous lab studies have shown that this molecule might have beneficial effects on the heart and the kidneys.
In this study Fiona and the team studied apelin in 24 participants, including healthy volunteers and patients with optimally managed and stable CKD.
“A previous study at the University of Edinburgh suggested benefits of apelin in patients with heart failure. This led me to think about the effect it could have on the kidneys too. I was excited to have the opportunity to look at this further as the focus of my PhD, given its potential to support a huge unmet need in treatments for kidney patients.”
Dr Fiona Chapman.
The effects of apelin on the heart and kidneys
Participants had two study visits and received treatment with apelin on one and placebo on the other, with the order selected at random.
Fiona and the team observed that compared to placebo, apelin improved several measures of heart function, including reducing blood pressure and increasing the cardiac output (the amount of blood the heart pumps in one minute) in both those with and without CKD.
Apelin also showed positive effects on kidney function, increasing kidney blood flow and decreasing the amount of protein that was lost in urine of CKD patients. Moreover, the dose of apelin was well tolerated in all patients with no harmful or negative outcomes reported. The changes observed in this study were short term and subsequent studies will be needed to define if these benefits last longer term.
Overall, these results demonstrate that apelin has promising benefits for patients with CKD and associated heart disease.
What next?
Following the promising results seen in this short-term study, Fiona and her team are keen to study this molecule further to better understand what benefits it might offer to patients living with CKD.
“This was the first study of apelin in patients with kidney disease and we are really excited by the results. The aspiration is now to test apelin in tablet form to see if these effects can be maintained in kidney patients longer term, alongside existing medications. New treatments are urgently needed for kidney disease patients, and these early results suggest that apelin has potential in this space.” Professor Neeraj Dhaun.
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