Can a diabetes-like medicine help shrink kidney and liver cysts in mice?
PPARα agonist fenofibrate enhances fatty acid β-oxidation and attenuates polycystic kidney and liver disease in mice.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Activating fat metabolism significantly slowed cyst growth in both kidneys and liver
Cysts were traditionally seen as structural problems, not metabolic ones—this flips the script by showing energy production defects may drive disease progression.
Practical Takeaways
Patients with early-stage ADPKD might discuss metabolic health and PPARα-activating drugs like fenofibrate with their doctors as potential off-label considerations.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Activating fat metabolism significantly slowed cyst growth in both kidneys and liver
Cysts were traditionally seen as structural problems, not metabolic ones—this flips the script by showing energy production defects may drive disease progression.
Practical Takeaways
Patients with early-stage ADPKD might discuss metabolic health and PPARα-activating drugs like fenofibrate with their doctors as potential off-label considerations.
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.