Zhao L, et al. – Keeping the objective in mind, researchers demonstrated that the combination of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) and sitagliptin served better glycemic control with fewer side effects and with more weight reduction in the elderly participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

• Researchers assigned a sum of 200 elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients into four groups: sitagliptin group (SG), receiving sitagliptin 100 mg/day; COS group (CG), receiving COS 100 mg/day; combination therapy of sitagliptin and COS group (SCG), receiving both sitagliptin and COS 100 mg/day; and placebo group (PG), receiving placebo 100 mg/day.
• They examined biochemical indices and clinical parameters for the alterations from start points after 42–week therapy.
• They further investigated the related molecular mechanism by quantitative real–time polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR) and Western blot at cell level.

Results

• They found lower risk of hypoglycemia in the SCG group when compared with SG and other groups (P<0.05).
• They noted that more patients from the SCG group than other groups attained hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reduction >2.5% (P<0.05).
• They observed weight reduction of 1.2±0.9, 2.6±0.8, 4.7±1.3, and 0.9±0.6 kg in the patients from SG, CG, SCG, and PG groups, respectively (P<0.05).
• It was indicated that the combined treatment of COS and sitagliptin presented better therapeutic results by improving insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, adiponectin levels, and glucagon–like peptide 1 and reducing side effects, insulin resistance, HbA1c, body mass index, resistin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)– α, and C–reactive protein (CRP) (P<0.05).
• Remarkably, qRT–PCR and Western blot analysis also displayed that COS treatment reduced the levels of resistin, TNF– α, and CRP, and increased the level of adiponectin.