Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a higher incidence of cardiovascular (acute and chronic) events, which in turn have an increased risk of progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Inhibition of neprilysin, in addition to offering a new therapeutic target in patients with heart failure, could represent a potential improvement strategy in cardiovascular and renal outcome of patients with CKD. Inhibition of neprilysin by inhibiting the breakdown of natriuretic peptides, increases their bioavailability resulting in an increase in diuresis and sodium excretion and, in addition to exerting an inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) system. Inhibition of RAAS, in turn, generates a series of counter-regulations that can balance the adverse effects present in CKD and heart failure (HF). The idea of blocking neprilysin is not very recent, but the first drugs used as inhibitors had an inadmissible incidence of angioedema. Among the latest generation molecules that can perform a specific inhibitory action on the neprilysin receptor and, at the same time, on the angiotensin II receptor thanks to the association with valsartan there is the LCZ696 (sacubitril / valsartan). This drug has shown promising benefits both in the treatment arterial hypertension and heart failure. It is hoped that equally positive effects may occur in CKD patients, particularly those with macroproteinuria.
Keywords: CKD; heart failure; hypertension; natriuretic peptides; neprilysin; sacubitril/valsartan.
Copyright by Società Italiana di Nefrologia SIN, Rome, Italy.