Japan: Study on GLP-1 RAs in Kidney Transplant Patients

In a study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), researchers have addressed the crucial role of GLP-1 RAs in patients undergoing kidney transplant surgery.

Tetsuhiko Sato from the Division of Integrated Strategic Medicine, Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center, Nagoya Daini Hospital wrote this study entitled, “Possible Advantage of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists for Kidney Transplant Recipients with Type 2 Diabetes.”

Research Findings

Previous research has portrayed the potential of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs) in improving native kidney function. Elaborating further, researchers in this present study elucidated the possible protective effects of GLP-1 RAs on kidney graft function after successful kidney transplantation (KTX).

They included all KTX recipients (KTRs) with type 2 diabetes who were followed up from 1-month post-transplantation for 24 months or longer. They explained, “Our investigation aims to determine the association between GLP-1 Ras usage and other antidiabetic medications (non–GLP-1 RAs) and the risk of sustained estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) reduction for KTRs with T2D.

Study Results

• Seventy-three patients were GLP-1 RA users, and 73 were non–GLP-1 RA users.
• Six patients and one patient in the non–GLP-1 RA and GLP-1 RA groups had sustained eGFR reduction.
• The use of GLP-1 RA following kidney transplantation lowered the risk of sustained eGFR reduction.
• GLP-1 RAs lowered the reduction of eGFR when compared with non–GLP-1 RAs.
• Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs) promoted better kidney graft survival following kidney transplantation.

Further Reading

Tetsuhiko Sato et al. Possible Advantage of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists for Kidney Transplant Recipients With Type 2 Diabetes, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2023; dgad177, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgad177