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Published on: January 4, 2018

Oral antidiabetic agents: anti-atherosclerotic properties beyond glucose lowering?

N Papanas1, E Maltezos

  • 1Outpatient Clinic of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. papanasnikos@yahoo.gr

Current Pharmaceutical Design
|September 17, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Oral antidiabetic agents offer cardiovascular protection by reducing atherosclerosis progression in type 2 diabetes patients. Some agents provide benefits beyond glucose lowering, aiding vascular health.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Type 2 diabetes significantly elevates cardiovascular mortality risk.
  • Simultaneous management of blood glucose and atherosclerosis progression is crucial.
  • Pharmaceuticals ideally should target both diabetes and cardiovascular complications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the anti-atherosclerotic effects of oral antidiabetic agents.
  • To evaluate their role in protecting vasculature in type 2 diabetes.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of current evidence on oral antidiabetic agents.
  • Analysis of studies focusing on cardiovascular outcomes and atherosclerosis markers.

Main Results:

  • Metformin consistently reduces cardiovascular morbidity/mortality and improves lipids.
  • Thiazolidinediones improve fat distribution, lipids, fibrinolysis, endothelial function, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers, attenuating carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) progression.
  • Glinides and acarbose also show benefits in endothelial function, lipid profiles, oxidative stress, inflammation, and CIMT progression, with some effects independent of glucose lowering.

Conclusions:

  • Oral antidiabetic agents demonstrate significant anti-atherosclerotic properties.
  • These agents are valuable for mitigating vascular damage and protecting the vasculature in type 2 diabetes.
  • Some beneficial cardiovascular effects may be independent of their glucose-lowering action.

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