Effect of Glimepiride on Serum Adiponectin Level in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes
- Shoichiro Nagasaka, MD1,
- Ataru Taniguchi, MD2,
- Yoshitaka Aiso, MD3,
- Toshimitsu Yatagai, MD1,
- Tomoatsu Nakamura, MD1,
- Yoshikatsu Nakai, MD4,
- Mitsuo Fukushima, MD5,
- Akira Kuroe, MD2 and
- Shun Ishibashi, MD1
- 1Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan
- 2Division of Diabetes, Kansai-Denryoku Hospital, Osaka, Japan
- 3Aiso Clinic, Tokyo, Japan
- 4College of Medical Technology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- 5Department of Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Address correspondence to Shoichiro Nagasaka, MD, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Jichi Medical School, Yakushiji 3311-1, Minamikawachi, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan. E-mail: sngsk{at}jichi.ac.jp.
Sulfonylurea is known to lower glucose levels by stimulating pancreatic insulin secretion. Glimepiride, a new agent of sulfonylurea, is unique in that the glucose-lowering efficacy is similar but the ability to stimulate insulin secretion is lower in comparison with conventional sulfonylureas such as glibenclamide, glipizide, and gliclazide (1). Thus, glimepiride is hypothesized to have greater extrapancreatic effect, such as an improvement in insulin resistance (1). The previous report by Muller et al. (1) supports the hypothesis that insulin-resistant diabetic KK-Ay mice can be well controlled by glimepiride, but not by glibenclamide and gliclazide. Glimepiride is reported to increase insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis in cultured human skeletal muscle cells. Very recently, Tsunekawa et al. (2) clearly demonstrated that glimepiride actually increases insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. They also proposed that the increase in insulin sensitivity might be associated with increased adiponectinemia. Here we report our data regarding the effects of glimepiride on insulinemia, insulin sensitivity, and serum adiponectin …
