TITLE:
Effectiveness of Telmisartan as an Adjunct to Metformin in Treating Type II Diabetes Mellitus in Rats
AUTHORS:
Rania M. Salama, Mona F. Schaalan, Moushira E. Ibrahim, Amani E. Khalifa, Alaaeldin A. Elkoussi
KEYWORDS:
Type II Diabetes Mellitus; Insulin Resistance; High-Fat High-Fructose Diet; Metformin; Telmisartan; Peroxisome-Proliferator Activated Receptor Gamma
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases,
Vol.3 No.3,
July
12,
2013
ABSTRACT: The monitoring reports of most patients
with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) revealed that monotherapy with metformin
could not achieve long-term glycemic control. Thus, we designed this study
aiming to investigate the effect of telmisartan, a unique AT1 receptor
antagonist and a partial agonist of peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor
gamma (PPARγ), individually and as an
adjunct to metformin, on a rat model that simulates the metabolic
characteristics of human T2DM. Adult male Wistar rats were fed high-fat,
high-fructose diet (HFFD) for 8 weeks followed by a single low dose of
streptozotocin (STZ) (35 mg/kg/day, i.p.) rendering them diabetic and insulin
resistant. The effectiveness of both drugs and their combination was tested by
assessing the changes in the levels of serum glucose, insulin, homeostasis
model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, lipid profile and
adiponectin. In addition, the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) in the liver,
was investigated. Results showed that the addition of telmisartan to metformin
successfully restored serum glucose back to normal levels and corrected the
altered serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and adiponectin,
emphasizing the potential role of telmisartan as an adjunct to metformin.