Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Stimulators: a Novel Treatment Option for Heart Failure Associated with Cardiorenal Syndromes?

Ruth F. Dubin*, Sanjiv J. Shah

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Heart failure in the setting of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasingly common scenario and carries a poor prognosis. Clinicians lack tools for primary or secondary heart failure prevention in patients with cardiorenal syndromes. In patients without CKD, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) and statins mitigate cardiovascular risk in large part due to salutary effects on the endothelium. In the setting of CKD, use of these therapies is limited by adverse effects of hyperkalemia in pre-dialysis CKD (ACE-I/ARB), or potential increased risk of stroke in end-stage renal disease (statins). The soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators are a novel class of medications that promote endothelial and myocardial function with no known risk of hyperkalemia or stroke. In this review, we discuss the evidence emerging from recent clinical trials of sGC stimulators in pulmonary hypertension and heart failure, the diseased pathways involved in cardiorenal syndromes likely to be restored by sGC stimulators, and several strategies for designing future clinical trials of cardiorenal syndromes that might shorten the timeline for discovery and approval of effective cardiovascular therapies in these high-risk patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)132-139
Number of pages8
JournalCurrent heart failure reports
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2016

Keywords

  • Cyclic GMP
  • Heart failure
  • Renal disease
  • Soluble guanylate cyclase
  • Therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Physiology (medical)
  • Emergency Medicine

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