Regulation of Adropin by Sitagliptin monotherapy in participants with newly diagnosed type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Adropin is a potent metabolic regulator of insulin sensitivity and glycolipid metabolism. The present study investigated the effects of sitagliptin on adropin and metabolic parameters in participants with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Thirty-five participants newly-diagnosed with T2D were prescribed sitagliptin 100 mg once daily for 17 weeks. Twenty-eight age-, sex-, and BMI-matched healthy subjects were included as the control group. Adropin and clinical parameters were assessed at baseline and after treatment. RESULTS: At baseline, serum adropin levels were lower in T2D participants than in the healthy individuals (3.12 ± 0.73 vs. 5.90 ± 1.22 ng/ml, P < 0.01). Serum adropin levels were significantly higher in T2D patients after sitagliptin treatment (4.97 ± 1.01 vs. 3.12 ± 0.73 ng/ml, P < 0.01). The changes in serum adropin levels after sitagliptin treatment were associated with the improvements of fasting blood glucose (FBG) (β = − 0.71, P < 0.01), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (β = − 0.44, P < 0.01) and homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β) (β = 9.02, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Sitagliptin treatment could significantly increase serum adropin levels in participants with newly diagnosed T2D. The increase in serum adropin levels could be associated with the amelioration of glucose metabolism, which might be involved in beneficial glucose-lowering mechanisms of sitagliptin. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04495881. Retrospectively registered on 03/08/2020.