In type 2 diabetes patients, insulin glargine is associated with lower postprandial release of intact proinsulin compared with sulfonylurea treatment.

First published in Diabetes Technology Society on 2012 May.
J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2012 May 1;6(3):634-40

Authors: Pscherer S, Larbig M, von Stritsky B, Pfützner A, Forst T.

Abstract

Objective

Our objective was to investigate how postprandial processing of intact proinsulin is influenced by different pharmacological strategies in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Materials / Methods

This exploratory, nonrandomized, cross-sectional study recruited T2DM patients and healthy subjects. Upon recruitment, eligible T2DM patients had been treated for ≥6 months with insulin glargine (GLA) plus metformin (MET), sulfonylureas (SU) plus MET, or dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4-I) plus MET. Blood samples were drawn from study participants after an 8 h fast and at regular intervals for up to 5 h after consumption of a standardized meal. Study endpoints included postprandial intact proinsulin and insulin levels and the insulin/proinsulin ratio.

Results

As expected, postprandial secretion of proinsulin was greater in all T2DM treatment groups than in healthy subjects (p < .01 for all comparisons). Postprandial release of proinsulin was significantly greater in T2DM patients treated with SU plus MET than in those treated with GLA plus MET (p = .003). Treatment with DPP-4-I plus MET was associated with reduced proinsulin secretion versus SU plus MET and an increased insulin/proinsulin ratio versus the other T2DM groups.

Conclusions

Treatment of T2DM with GLA plus MET or DPP-4-I plus MET was associated with a more physiological postprandial secretion pattern of the β cell compared with those treated with SU plus MET.

Read more

Download full article as Pdf file:

Pdf File 1

Pdf File 2

 

REACHING OUT IS EASY AND FAST – LET’S TALK

Prof. Dr. Thomas Forst

Chairman of the Executive Board


LET’S TALK SCIENCE