Effects of dapagliflozin on serum and urinary uric acid levels in patients with type 2 diabetes: a prospective pilot trial

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the effects of short-term therapy with dapagliflozin on serum uric acid (SUA) and urinary uric acid (UUA) levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: In this prospective pilot trial, 8 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were assigned to the treatment group with dapagliflozin 10 mg once daily for one week, and 7 subjects with normal glucose tolerance were recruited into the control group. Data of anthropometric measurements, SUA, 24-h UUA, fractional excretion of UA (FEUA), serum lipid parameters and 3-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were collected in both treatment and control groups; all examinations were repeated after treatment. The area under the curve of glucose (AUC(Glu)) was calculated to reflect the general glucose levels, while insulin resistance and islet β-cell function were reflected by indexes calculated according to the data obtained from the OGTT. RESULTS: The weight and serum lipid parameters showed no differences before and after treatment with dapagliflozin for one week. We found SUA levels decreased from 347.75 ± 7.75 μmol/L before treatment to 273.25 ± 43.18 μmol/L after treatment, with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.001) and was accompanied by a significant increase in FEUA from 0.009 to 0.029 (P = 0.035); there was a linear correlation between SUA and FEUA levels. Glucose control, insulin sensitivity and islet β-cell function were improved to a certain extent. We also found a positive correlation between the decrease in glucose levels and the improvement in islet β-cell function. CONCLUSIONS: The SUA-lowering effect of dapagliflozin could be driven by increasing UA excretion within one week of treatment, and a certain degree of improvement in glucose levels and islet β-cell function were observed. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT04014192. Registered 12 July 2019, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04014192:term=NCT04014192&draw=2&rank=1. Yes.