The Study
PPARα agonist fenofibrate enhances fatty acid β-oxidation and attenuates polycystic kidney and liver disease in mice.
This study looked at what happens to kidney and liver cysts in mice with a disease similar to human ADPKD when they are given a drug called fenofibrate. It found that the mice had smaller cysts and better kidney function after treatment, but because it’s just in mice and we don’t know all the details of how the study was done, we can’t say for sure that the drug caused the improvement.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave a drug called fenofibrate to mice with kidney and liver cysts to see if it helped. The drug turns on a switch in cells that helps burn fat for energy.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 512 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This shows the drug might slow down cyst growth in diseases like polycystic kidney disease, but we don’t know yet if it works the same in humans.
- 2The mice that got the drug had smaller kidneys, fewer and smaller cysts, less kidney damage, and healthier livers after 5 months.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
American journal of physiology. Renal physiology
Year
2018
Authors
Ronak Lakhia, Matanel Yheskel, Andrea Flaten, Ezekiel Quittner-Strom, W. Holland, V. Patel
Related Content
Claims (5)
Turning on a protein called PPARα helps cells move fat into tiny energy factories (mitochondria) so it can be burned for fuel.
In mice with a kidney disease similar to one in humans, giving them a drug called fenofibrate seems to boost the activity of genes that help burn fat for energy in the kidneys, which might mean their kidney cells are using energy more efficiently.
Fenofibrate seems to slow down kidney disease in mice with a condition similar to polycystic kidney disease, making their kidneys healthier after five months of treatment.
In mice with a genetic form of kidney disease, taking a drug called fenofibrate seems to slow down the growth of kidney cysts and reduce harmful inflammation in the kidneys.
Fenofibrate, a drug that changes how the liver processes energy, seems to help reduce liver cysts and damage in a type of mouse with a genetic liver disease.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.