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Sildenafil may improve insulin sensitivity in prediabetes
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Insulin sensitivity in those with prediabetes was improved with sildenafil treatment, according to recent study findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Further, biological markers of increased risk for kidney and heart disease were reduced with the treatment, according to researchers.
“We need additional strategies to help slow the progression from prediabetes to diabetes,” Nancy J. Brown, MD, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said in a press release. “Weight loss and exercise regimens can be difficult to maintain, and some current medications have been limited by concerns about adverse effects. Sildenafil and related drugs could offer a potential avenue for addressing the rising number of diabetes diagnoses.”
Brown and colleagues randomly assigned adults with overweight and prediabetes to treatment with sildenafil 25 mg three times a day (n = 21) or placebo (n = 21) for 3 months to determine whether sildenafil improves insulin sensitivity and secretion without diminishing fibrinolytic function.
Before and after the end of treatment, all participants underwent hyperglycemic clamp.
Compared with the placebo group, the sildenafil group had greater insulin sensitivity index (ISI) 3 months after treatment (P = .049), after adjustment for baseline ISI and BMI. Disposition index also tended to be higher in the sildenafil group compared with the placebo group (P = .07). However, sildenafil had no effect on acute- or late-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (P > .30).
Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio decreased with sildenafil treatment compared with an increase in the placebo group.
Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1was significantly reduced with sildenafil, with no effect on tissue-plasminogen activator.
“Because existing drug therapies to prevent type 2 diabetes can have negative effects on the heart or be of limited use in patients with kidney disease, strategies to prevent diabetes without adversely affecting the risk of kidney and heart disease could have a large impact on public health,” Brown said. “Further studies will be needed to determine whether long-term treatment with drugs like sildenafil can prevent the onset of diabetes in high-risk patients.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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