Association of antidiabetic therapy with shortened telomere length in middle-aged Type 2 diabetic patients

Abstract

Introduction A wide range of antidiabetic therapies have been developed to manage diabetes and limit its lifespan but each of them have adverse long-term drug reactions. This study was performed for the investigation of the possible association of antidiabetic therapy with shortened telomere length in middle-aged Type 2 diabetic patients. Materials and methodsThe subjects in this case-control study included 100 non-diabetic patients and 300 patients with Type 2 diabetes with ages in the range of 30-50 years. The treated patients were further subdivided into diabetic patients using Doanil, those using insulin and those using both the therapies. The mean telomere length was determined using the southern-blotting technique. A logistic regression analysis was performed to predict the relationship between antidiabetic therapy and shortened telomere length. ResultsThe results revealed a significant increase (P < 0.01) in the fasting blood glucose and lipid profile in non-treatment diabetic patients compared to diabetic patients with treatment, and also in diabetic patients with insulin therapy, compared to diabetic patients with Doanil or both therapies. The results showed that non-treatment diabetic patients had shorter telomere length, compared to the diabetic patients with treatment, and patients treated with insulin therapy had shorter telomere length, compared to the diabetic patients with Doanil or both therapies. The logistic regression analysis confirmed that insulin therapy was closely related to diabetic risk factors and shortened telomere length. Conclusions The results revealed that Doanil therapy was more effective in managing diabetic risk and limiting the shortening telomere length than insulin therapy.

Can Antidiabetic Medications Affect Telomere Length in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes? A Mini-Review

“…61,62 Al-Thuwaini et al suggested that the prolongation of TL in patients with T2DM with glyburide may be caused by a decrease in oxidative stress levels due to good glycemic control. 33 As mentioned earlier, oxidative stress induced by hyperglycemia has been found to accelerate telomere shortening. 7 Additionally, some scholars have highlighted that oxidative stress can inhibit the activity of telomerase.…”

“…Logistic regression analysis showed that only insulin use (OR: 17.355, 95% CI: 2.659 to 35.627, p=0.013) and LDL-C level (OR: 3.493, 95% CI: 1.599 to 10.063, p=0.007) were independent predictors of telomere shortening. The aforementioned case-control study 33 found that telomere shortening was 3 times higher in insulin-treated patients with T2DM (logistic regression analysis, estimate: −3.41, p=0.001). A cross-sectional study 35 by AlDehaini et al found no significant difference in leukocyte TL among patients treated with metformin alone, insulin alone, or a combination of the both.…”

“…60 Glyburide is a second-generation sulfonylurea and one of the most commonly used sulfonylureas. 33,60 Al-Thuwaini designed a case-control study 33 that involved 100 middle-aged individuals without DM and 300 middleaged patients with T2DM (75 non-treatment patients, 80 using glyburide, 70 using insulin and 75 with both therapies, patients in the latter 3 groups had a history of using antidiabetic medications for more than 3 years). Logistic regression analysis showed that glyburide may have a protective effect on telomeres in patients with T2DM (estimate: 2.42, odds ratio (OR): 2.07, 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.90, p=0.004).…”

“…63 Glyburide, by promoting endogenous insulin secretion and lowering glucose levels, can effectively reduce oxidative stress. 33 As a result, it may help safeguard TL. 33…”

Telomere Shortening in Three Diabetes Mellitus Types in a Mexican Sample

“…Glibenclamide has been found to remarkably decrease the telomere shortening rate. This may be due to the fact that glibenclamide stimulates insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells and reduces free fatty acid concentrations [ 40 ]. A randomized controlled trial reported a significant improvement in glucose control, reduced insulin resistance, and elongated telomere length in T2DM patients treated with sitagliptin for 2 months.…”