Effect of rosiglitazone on plasma adiponectin levels and arterial stiffness in subjects with prediabetes or non-diabetic metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Thiazolidinediones have favorable influences on surrogate markers of atherosclerosis such as adiponectin, and arterial stiffness in diabetic patients. However, it is not well known whether these beneficial effects occur in subjects without diabetes, such as prediabetes or the non-diabetic metabolic syndrome (MetS). The present study was therefore designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the insulin-sensitizing agent rosiglitazone on circulating adipocytokine levels and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in non-diabetics. Ninety-nine subjects with prediabetes or non-diabetic MetS were randomly assigned to either rosiglitazone or an untreated control group (50 and 49 subjects respectively). The rosiglitazone group was treated daily for 12 weeks with 4 mg rosiglitazone. All subjects received a 75 g oral glucose test (OGTT) before and after treatment. In addition, baPWV, together with the levels of adiponectin, resistin, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were determined. Rosiglitazone treatment significantly increased circulating adiponectin levels (P < 0.001) relative to the control group (P = 0.21). Plasma resistin levels were unchanged in both the rosiglitazone-treated and -untreated groups, but baPWV and hsCRP were significantly decreased (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003 respectively) in the rosiglitazone group only. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that changes in plasma adiponectin and baPWV were significantly affected by rosiglitazone treatment. These data suggest that rosiglitazone may have an anti-atherogenic effect in subjects with prediabetes or non-diabetic MetS.