Blood pressure and cardiac autonomic nervous system in obese type 2 diabetic patients: effect of metformin administration.
BACKGROUND
Hyperinsulinemia/insulin resistance and elevated plasma free fatty acids (FFA) levels are involved in the hypertension and cardiac sympathetic overactivity. Metformin improves insulin action and lower plasma FFA concentrations. We investigate the possible effect of metformin on arterial blood pressure (BP) and cardiac sympathetic nervous system.


METHODS
One hundred twenty overweight type 2 diabetic patients were treated by placebo (n = 60) + diet or metformin (850 mg twice daily) (n = 60) + diet for 4 months, to evaluate the effect of metformin treatment on the cardiac autonomic nervous system. Insulin resistance was measured by the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) index. Heart rate variability (HRV) assessed cardiac sympathovagal balance.


RESULTS
Metformin treatment, but not placebo treatment, was associated with a decrease in fasting plasma glucose (P <.05), insulin (P <.05), triglyceride (P <.05), and FFA (P <.03) concentrations and HOMA index (P <.03). Metformin treatment was also associated with a significant improvement in cardiac sympathovagal balance but not in mean arterial BP. Furthermore, in a multivariate analysis, delta change in sympathovagal balance index (LF/HF ratio) were associated with delta change in plasma FFA concentrations and HOMA index independently of gender and delta change in plasma triglyceride and HbA1c concentrations.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that metformin treatment might be useful for improving cardiac sympathovagal balance in obese type 2 diabetic patients.
Department of Geriatric Medicine and Metabolic Diseases, Internal Medicine IV, Second University of Naples, Piazza Miraglia 2, I-10838 Naples, Italy.
Daniela
D
Manzella
Rodolfo
R
Grella
Katherine
K
Esposito
Dario
D
Giugliano
Mario
M
Barbagallo
Giuseppe
G
Paolisso
D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008687:Metformin; D014280:Triglycerides