Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious health condition affecting millions of people around the world.
Many patients eventually require dialysis to stay alive once their kidneys can no longer filter waste effectively.
Despite the severity of the disease, there are currently no medications proven to improve kidney function or slow down its decline.
Now, researchers in Japan may have found an unexpected solution—using a drug originally developed for constipation.
A team led by Professor Takaaki Abe at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine has discovered that lubiprostone, a drug widely prescribed for constipation, can help protect kidney function in patients with CKD.
This is the first time that this medication has been shown to slow the progression of kidney disease in humans. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
The researchers were inspired by a clinical observation: many CKD patients also struggle with constipation.
Constipation disrupts the gut microbiota—the community of bacteria in the intestines—and this imbalance appears to worsen kidney function. Working from this idea, the team asked whether improving constipation might also benefit the kidneys.
To test the theory, they launched a Phase II clinical trial, known as the LUBI-CKD TRIAL, at nine medical centers across Japan.
The study included 150 patients with moderate CKD. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or different doses of lubiprostone. Over time, researchers tracked the decline of kidney function by measuring the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a standard marker of kidney health.
The results were striking. Patients treated with lubiprostone experienced a slower decline in kidney function compared to those on placebo. The effect was dose-dependent, with higher doses providing greater protection. This suggests that the drug directly influenced disease progression rather than simply improving symptoms of constipation.
Digging deeper, the researchers explored how the drug works. They found that lubiprostone boosts the production of a compound called spermidine, which promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.
This, in turn, improves mitochondrial function—the process that powers cells—and helps protect kidney tissue from further damage.
The team now plans to conduct a larger Phase III trial to confirm these findings and to search for biomarkers that can help predict which patients will respond best to treatment. Their ultimate goal is to create personalized therapies that slow or even prevent kidney failure.
If confirmed, this discovery could change the way doctors treat CKD. Instead of only focusing on reducing harmful toxins, therapies may also target the gut and cellular energy pathways. Beyond kidney disease, this strategy could also open new doors for treating other conditions linked to mitochondrial dysfunction.
For patients with CKD, a simple constipation drug may soon become a powerful tool in preserving kidney function and delaying the need for dialysis.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about Common statin drug linked to kidney damage and how drinking coffee can affect your kidney health.
For more health information, please read studies about important cause of kidney disease and Cruciferous vegetables may reverse kidney damage in diabetics.
