title: PGE1 improves diabetic peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.
abstract: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common chronic complication of diabetes. We aim to investigate the efficacy of Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) treatment in addition to intensive insulin therapy on DPN in patients with type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  
  Seventy-seven patients with DPN received daily intravenous injection of Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) in lipid microspheres (Lipo-PGE1) for 10days as an additional therapy to standard glucose control therapy (PGE1 group). Another 42 patients with DPN receiving only standard glucose control therapy (intensive insulin therapy) acted as a control group. Michigan neuropathy screening instrument (MNSI) score, neurophysiology examination, transcutaneous oxygen sensory threshold, and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were measured to evaluate the efficacy of PGE1 treatment as compared with control group.
  
  
  
  Standard glucose control therapy decreased plasma glucose to a similar level in both PGE1 and control groups. Compare to control group, PGE1 group displayed improvement in several nerve electrophysiological indexes. MNSI score was significantly improved in patients who received PGE1 treatment compared with the control group (p<0.001) after 10days of PGE1 treatment. Similarly, nerve conduction velocity and foot sensory thresholds (p<0.05 for all) also significantly improved compared with the control group after 10days of PGE1 treatment. However, only intensive insulin therapy did not improve any neural function.
  
  
  
  Lipo-PGE1 can effectively improve neural function of patients with DPN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Nanjing Hospital, Nanjing 210006, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Dan
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Huai'an 223300, China.
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Endocrinology, Kaifeng Central Hospital, Kaifeng 475000, China.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Nanjing Hospital, Nanjing 210006, China.
authors.forename: Lan-Lan
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Nanjing Hospital, Nanjing 210006, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Nanjing Hospital, Nanjing 210006, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Nanjing Hospital, Nanjing 210006, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Kok-Onn
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre, Singapore.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Nanjing Hospital, Nanjing 210006, China. Electronic address: majianhua@china.com.
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000527:Alprostadil / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000527:Alprostadil
keywords: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Neural function; PGE1; Type 2 diabetes