Short-term effects of mepacrine on serum lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Abstract

We investigated the effects of 7 days' treatment with oral mepacrine hydrochloride 100 mg three times daily on fasting serum levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins in 16 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Mepacrine treatment decreased fasting levels of total cholesterol (7.0 ± 0.6 to 5.6 ± 0.4 mmol/L, P < .01), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (4.7 ± 0.5 to 3.5 ± 0.3 mmol/L, P < .01), and apolipoprotein (apo) B (1.20 ± 0.14 to 1.02 ± 0.08 g/L, P < .05), and the ratio of LDL cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ( P < .05). There was no change in fasting levels of serum glucose, insulin, C-peptide, nonesterified free fatty acids, triglycerides, or lipoprotein(a). In conclusion, a short course of oral mepacrine treatment has a potentially beneficial effect on LDL cholesterol and apo B levels in patients with NIDDM and warrants further investigation in this situation.