The Effect of SGLT2 Inhibition on Adipose Inflammation and Endothelial Function (SADIE2)

Obesity is associated with increased cardiometabolic disease risk due, in part, to heightened chronic inflammation arising from adipose tissue. There are no current targeted therapies to prevent or reverse the chronic inflammation of obesity, and a better understanding of these inflammatory pathways in humans is key to future therapeutic interventions. This trial will determine both the anti-inflammatory potential of the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin, and the contribution of adipose inflammation to surrogate measures of cardiovascular disease in a randomized controlled trial of obese patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Obesity; Metabolic Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Empagliflozin 25 MG; Drug: Placebo

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 74
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Mona Mashayekhi, MD, PhD; Phone Number: 615-208-5037; Email: mona.mashayekhi@vumc.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
      • Recruiting
      • Vanderbilt University Medical Center
      • Contact: Mona Mashayekhi, MD; Phone Number: 615-875-6336; Email: mona.mashayekhi@vumc.org

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 18+ years old 2. Metabolic syndrome as defined by 3 or more of 5 criteria:

1. Systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 85 mmg Hg or treatment with anti-hypertensive medications for minimum of 1 month
2. Triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL or treatment with a triglyceride-targeted medication (fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, niacin, high dose omega-3 fatty acids)
3. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) < 40 mg/dL in males or < 50 mg/dL in females
4. Fasting blood glucose ≥ 100mg/dL or treatment with glucose-lowering medications

5. Waist circumference ≥ 102 cm in males or ≥ 88cm in females 3. BMI ≥ 35 kg/M2 4. The ability to provide informed consent

   Exclusion Criteria:

   6. Type 1 diabetes. 7. Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes as defined by HbA1c ≥ 9%. 8. Use of anti-diabetic medications other than stable dose of metformin or a sulfonylurea in the last 1 month.

   9. Treatment with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist or co-agonist in the last 3 months.

   10. Treatment with an SGLT2 inhibitor in the last 3 months. 11. Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women of child-bearing potential will be required to have undergone surgical sterilization or to be using an intra-uterine device, hormonal contraceptive, or barrier methods of birth control.

   12. Cardiovascular disease such as myocardial infarction within six months prior to enrollment, presence of angina pectoris, significant arrhythmia, congestive heart failure (left ventricular hypertrophy acceptable), deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, -second- or third-degree heart block, mitral valve stenosis, aortic stenosis, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy 13. Presence of implanted cardiac defibrillator or pacemaker 14. History of serious neurologic disease such as cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, or transient ischemic attack 15. History of pancreatitis or pancreatic surgery 16. History or presence of immunological or hematological disorders 17. Clinically significant gastrointestinal impairment that could interfere with drug absorption 18. History of advanced liver disease with cirrhosis 19. Individuals with an eGFR<45 mL/min/1.73 m2, where eGFR is determined by the four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation, where serum creatinine is expressed in mg/dL and age in years: eGFR (mL/min/1.73m2)=186 • Scr-1.154 • age-0.203 • (0.742 if female) 20. Treatment with chronic systemic glucocorticoid therapy (more than 7 consecutive days in 1 month) 21. Treatment with anticoagulants 22. Any underlying or acute disease requiring regular medication which could possibly pose a threat to the subject or make implementation of the protocol or interpretation of the study results difficult 23. History of alcohol abuse (>14 per week for men and >7 per week for women) or illicit drug use 24. Treatment with any investigational drug in the one month preceding the study 25. Previous randomization in this trial 26. Mental conditions rendering a subject unable to understand the nature, scope and possible consequences of the study 27. Inability to comply with the protocol in the opinion of the principal investigator, e.g., uncooperative attitude, inability to return for follow-up visits, and unlikelihood of completing the study

   Criteria Related to Known Adverse Effects of Drug:

   28. Uncircumcised men or men with history of balanitis 29. History of urinary incontinence 30. History of recurrent (>3) episodes of vulvovaginitis per year, or severe symptoms 31. History of Fournier's gangrene 32. History of recurrent (≥3) UTIs per year or pyelonephritis 33. History of symptomatic hypotension or conditions predisposing to volume depletion 34. Known peripheral vascular disease, neuropathy, history of foot ulcers or lower limb amputations 35. Treatment with loop diuretics furosemide, torsemide, bumetanide, ethacrynic acid 36. Known or suspected allergy to trial medications, excipients, or related products 37. Contraindications to study medications, worded specifically as stated in the product's prescribing information

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Empagliflozin Arm; Empagliflozin is an FDA-approved SGLT2 inhibitor used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, with off-label use for diabetic kidney disease and for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction even in those without diabetes. To ensure blinding, empagliflozin will be over-encapsulated in identical gelatin capsules as placebo.	Drug: Empagliflozin 25 MG; Empagliflozin is an FDA-approved SGLT2 inhibitor used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, with off-label use for diabetic kidney disease and for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction even in those without diabetes.; Other Names: Jardiance
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Arm; Placebo consists of gelatin capsules.	Drug: Placebo; Placebo consists of gelatin capsules.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Adipose tissue macrophages	Homeostatic adipose tissue macrophages are quantified	12 weeks
Flow mediated dilation	Brachial artery diameter is measured under basal conditions and during reactive hyperemia	12 weeks
Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1	Plasma monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels are quantified	12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pro-inflammatory T cells	Pro-inflammatory T cells are quantified	12 weeks
IL-6	Plasma IL-6 levels are quantified	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mona Mashayekhi, MD, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 6, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 24, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 24, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 2, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 31, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Insulin Resistance; Hyperinsulinism; Overweight; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Obesity; Metabolic Syndrome; Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Hypoglycemic Agents; empagliflozin
• Other Study ID Numbers: 210907 (SADIE2)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: No plan to share IPD outside of VUMC study team.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No