Effect of rosiglitazone on factors related to endothelial dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

The effect of the insulin sensitizer rosiglitazone (RSG) on biological markers of endothelial dysfunction in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was investigated in a 12-week, multi-center, randomized, double-blind study. One hundred and thirty-six subjects aged 40–70 years, with FPG ≥7.0 and ≤15.0 mmol/l, previously treated with a single oral anti-diabetic agent or diet/exercise, were randomized to RSG 8 mg/day (n = 65) or placebo (PBO, n = 71). Results revealed that RSG significantly reduced soluble (s)E-selectin by −10.9% (P = 0.004) compared with PBO, but did not significantly alter soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (+0.6%, P = NS). Compared with PBO, RSG also significantly reduced plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (−36.9%, P < 0.001), tissue plasminogen activator antigen (−22.7%, P < 0.001), FPG (−2.8 mmol/l, P < 0.001), fasting fructosamine (−42.0 mg/dl, P < 0.001). Post-prandial AUC(0–4h) for free fatty acids (FFAs) reduced by −6.5 mg/dl*h from baseline (P = 0.03), a change that positively and significantly correlated with changes in sE-selectin (r = 0.22, P = 0.05). The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two groups (RSG: 35.4%; PBO: 40.8%); the majority mild or moderate. These data support the hypothesis that, in patients with T2DM, rosiglitazone has beneficial effects on biological markers of endothelial dysfunction. Improvements in insulin sensitivity and decreases in FFAs may play a role in these effects.