Canagliflozin inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration: Role of heme oxygenase-1

Recent cardiovascular outcome trials found that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce cardiovascular disease and mortality in type 2 diabetic patients; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully known. Since the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) contributes to the development of arterial lesions, we hypothesized that SGLT2 inhibitors may exert their beneficial cardiovascular effects by inhibiting the growth and movement of vascular SMCs. Treatment of rat or human aortic SMCs with clinically relevant concentrations of canagliflozin, but not empagliflozin or dapagliflozin, inhibited cell proliferation and migration. The inhibition of SMC growth by canagliflozin occurred in the absence of cell death, and was associated with the arrest of SMCs in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and diminished DNA synthesis. Canagliflozin also resulted in the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression, and a rise in HO activity in vascular SMCs, whereas, empagliflozin or dapagliflozin had no effect on HO activity. Canagliflozin also activated the HO-1 promoter and this was abrogated by mutating the antioxidant responsive element or by overexpressing dominant-negative NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2). The induction of HO-1 by canagliflozin relied on reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and was negated by antioxidants. Finally, silencing HO-1 expression partially rescued the proliferative and migratory response of canagliflozin-treated SMCs, and this was reversed by carbon monoxide and bilirubin. In conclusion, the present study identifies canagliflozin as a novel inhibitor of vascular SMC proliferation and migration. Moreover, it demonstrates that canagliflozin stimulates the expression of HO-1 in vascular SMCs via the ROS-Nrf2 pathway, and that the induction of HO-1 contributes to the cellular actions of canagliflozin. The ability of canagliflozin to exert these pleiotropic effects may contribute to the favorable clinical actions of the drug and suggest an extra potential benefit of canagliflozin relative to other SGLT2 inhibitors.