title: Acarbose ameliorates atherogenecity of low-density lipoprotein in patients with impaired glucose tolerance.
abstract: Acarbose, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, is administered to control blood glucose levels. The drug also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, but the underlying mechanism is still to be elucidated. We therefore hypothesized that treatment with acarbose ameliorates the atherogenecity of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), a key molecule in atherogenesis. Patients with impaired glucose tolerance were or were not treated with acarbose (acarbose-treated group [n = 20] and control group [n = 20], respectively) for 3 months under dietary therapy. The oxidative susceptibility of LDL was determined by measuring lag time for the formation of dienes in the presence of CuSO(4). The lag time was significantly longer in the acarbose-treated group than in the control group before treatment. Moreover, the density gradient lipoprotein separation and disk polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analyses showed that acarbose reduced the amount of small dense LDL, a more atherogenic and oxidatively susceptible form of LDL. We also found that the fatty acid composition of LDL changed after the treatment: polyunsaturated (omega-3) fatty acid, a beneficial substance for preventing cardiovascular disease, was significantly increased, whereas saturated fatty acids and triglyceride were decreased in the LDL of the acarbose-treated group. The present findings suggest that acarbose treatment reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases by ameliorating the atherogenecity of LDL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetic and Endocrinology, Saitama Medical School, Moroyama, Iruma-gun, Saitama 350-0495, Japan. i1901018@saitma-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shinoda
authors.forename: Takanari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sassa
authors.forename: Sei-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Awata
authors.forename: Tsugikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komoda
authors.forename: Shigehiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Katayama
mesh_terms: D020909:Acarbose / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL / Q000097:blood; D047493:PPAR alpha / Q000502:physiology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL; D047493:PPAR alpha; D014280:Triglycerides; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein; D020909:Acarbose