Sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, gliflozins represent a relatively new class of antidiabetic drugs, which demonstrated its capabilities to significantly reduce mortality and morbidity of cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Their effect was shown in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in diabetics as well as in non-diabetics.
Moreover, gliflozins have also a major nephroprotective actions. This review article describes the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors not only in heart failure, but also mentions potential benefits and mechanisms of action in atherosclerosis.
The review also points out the complexity, multilevel character and mutual interconnections of these mechanisms which are reflected in therapeutic effects of the SGLT2 inhibition.