Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Sitagliptin, unlike the some major antihyperglycaemic drugs, is not associated with weight gain and has neutral effects on body weight. It is unclear whether sitagliptin treatment alters serum ghrelin levels in people with type 2 diabetes. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of sitagliptin on serum ghrelin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: Forty-four type 2 diabetic subjects were randomly assigned to receive sitagliptin (100 mg/day; n=28) or medical nutrition therapy (MNT) (n=16) for 12 weeks. Changes in anthropometric variables, glycemic control, insulin resistance, lipid parameters and total ghrelin levels were evaluated at baseline and following 12 weeks of treatment.

Results: Significant decreases in body weight and body mass index were observed over the entire study period in both of the treatment groups. HbA1c and postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) levels were statistically significantly decreased in the sitagliptin group compared with baseline values, while they were unchanged in the MNT group. There was a significant decrease in total ghrelin in sitagliptin group (P=0.04) compared with baseline values but not in MNT group (P=0.46) at the end of the 12 weeks. Percentage change in total ghrelin levels was not statistically different between the sitagliptin and MNT groups (−9.3±21.8 vs 21.4±53.3, P=0.082).

Conclusions: In this study of patients with type 2 diabetes, treatment with sitagliptin was associated with a significant decrease in serum ghrelin levels. These results suggest that weight neutral effect of sitagliptin might be associated with the suppression of fasting serum ghrelin levels.