Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, is a serious health problem affecting millions of people around the world.
People with this condition often need to undergo regular dialysis just to stay alive. Unfortunately, there are currently no approved drugs that can actually improve how the kidneys work.
But now, researchers from Tohoku University in Japan may have discovered a surprising new treatment—using a drug usually prescribed for constipation. The team, led by Professor Takaaki Abe, found that this medication, called lubiprostone, might help slow down or even prevent the worsening of kidney function in people with CKD.
Their findings were recently published in the journal Science Advances. This is the first time this constipation drug has been shown to protect the kidneys in this way.
Professor Abe and his team became interested in this idea after noticing that constipation is a common problem among people with CKD.
They learned that when constipation happens, it can upset the balance of bacteria in the gut, which can then harm the kidneys. So, the researchers asked a simple question: What if treating constipation could actually help the kidneys?
To test this idea, they carried out a clinical trial involving 150 patients with moderate CKD. The trial took place in nine hospitals across Japan and aimed to see if lubiprostone could slow down the decline in kidney function.
The results were very encouraging. Patients who took the drug had a slower decline in their kidney function, measured using a standard test called estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). This effect was stronger in patients who took higher doses of the drug.
The team also wanted to understand how the drug worked. They discovered that lubiprostone increases the amount of a substance called spermidine in the body.
Spermidine helps the bacteria in the gut grow in a healthy way, and this leads to better function in the cell’s energy factories—called mitochondria. When the mitochondria work better, they help protect the kidneys from further damage.
The researchers now plan to test lubiprostone in a larger group of people and hope to find new ways to predict which patients will benefit the most from the treatment. Their long-term goal is to create personalized treatment plans for people with CKD.
This discovery could completely change how CKD is treated. Until now, most treatments have focused on removing toxins from the blood. But this study suggests that helping the gut and supporting cell energy may be just as important.
It also opens the door to exploring similar treatments for other diseases linked to mitochondrial problems.
Overall, this study is a promising step forward in the search for better ways to manage and treat chronic kidney disease. By looking at the body as a whole and treating related problems like constipation, scientists are finding new and unexpected ways to protect vital organs like the kidneys.
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.
The study is published in Science Advances.
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