Clinical effect of Metformin on inflammation and intestinal flora imbalance in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of Metformin on inflammation, intestinal flora imbalance, and metabolic impairment in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM). Methods A total of 74 elderly patients with T2DM admitted to our hospital from October 2014 to October 2016 were included in this study and assigned into an intervention group(n=37)and a control group(n=37)according to the sequence of admission.The intervention group was treated with 0.5 g Metformin once a day for 2 weeks, while the control group was given a placebo with the same frequency as in the intervention group.Fresh pre-and post-treatment stool samples were collected in sealed sterile anaerobic growth bags for the detection of changes in patient intestinal flora.Serum inflammatory factor levels, blood glucose levels, and blood lipid levels were measured. Results Before treatment, the numbers of beneficial intestinal flora(bacillus bifidus, bacillus acidi lactici, and bacteroides)in the intervention group were lower than in the control group(all P 0.05); The levels of serum inflammatory factors had significant reductions in the intervention group compared with pre-treatment levels(all P 0.05); Parameters for glucose and lipid metabolism in the intervention group showed improvement(all P 0.05). Conclusions Metformin can effectively control blood glucose and blood lipid levels in elderly patients with T2DM, improve the chronic inflammatory state, increase the number of beneficial intestinal bacteria, and regulate flora imbalance. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, type 2; Metformin; Inflammation; Enteric bacteria