Early Clinical Detection of Pharmacologic Response in Insulin Action in a Nondiabetic Insulin-Resistant Population

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance heightens the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Amelioration of insulin resistance may reduce this risk. The thiazolidinedone class of insulin sensitizers improves insulin action in individuals with insulin-resistant diabetes and nondiabetic individuals. However, there are few reports on the time of onset of such effects independent of reversal of glucotoxicity. OBJECTIVE: The goal of our study was to test whether the thiazolidinedione pioglitazone has prominent early metabolic effects that can be detected in an obese, nondiabetic, insulin-resistant population. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial in men with nondiabetic insulin resistance using a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique (at low and high doses of insulin at 10 and 40 mU/m(2)/min, respectively). The patients were given 30 mg daily oral pioglitazone or placebo for 28 days. Patients underwent a baseline clamp before initiation of treatment, and again at 14 and 28 days of treatment. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, under high-dose hyperinsulinemia, pioglitazone led to significant increases in glucose disposal rates (GDR) of 1.29 mg/kg/min (90% CI, 0.43–2.15; 39%; P=0.008) that were detectable at 2 weeks of treatment and persisted at 4 weeks of treatment. Under low-dose hyperinsulinemia, significant increases in GDR of 0.40 mg/kg/min (90% CI, 0.17–0.62; 95%; P=0.003) were observed at 4 weeks of treatment. These responses were accompanied by robust suppression of free fatty acids under hyperinsulinemic conditions, and by significant increases in circulating basal total adiponectin at 2 and 4 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Significant changes in insulin action across multiple insulin-sensitive tissues can be detected within 2 weeks of initiation of insulin-sensitizing therapy with pioglitazone in obese patients with nondiabetic insulin resistance. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01115712.