Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is implicated in the high morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Improvement in cardiovascular complications with maintaining glucose level and managing cardiovascular risk factors is important role. Currently, the impact of hypoglycemic medications on CVD is of increasing importance. Although dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4), a class of antidiabetic drugs, have pleiotropic protective effects on CVD in experimental studies, it remains undetermined whether gemigliptin has a beneficial effect on ischemia reperfusion (I/R)-induced myocardial injury and hypertension. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the effects of gemigliptin in the rat model of myocardial I/R injury and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Gemigliptin (20 and 100 mg/kg/day) was administered per oral to Sprague-Dawley rats for four weeks before I/R operation. Gemigliptin pretreatment improved hemodynamic function and limited infarction size against I/R injury. Additionally, gemigliptin (0.03% and 0.15%) was mixed into the powdered feed and fed to SHR. Gemigliptin treatment with SHR reversed hypertrophy and improved diastolic function. These results suggest that gemigliptin exerts beneficial effect not only on blood glucose but also on cardiovascular system in cardiac I/R injury and hypertensive rats.
J. Park: Employee; Self; LG Chem. D. Nam: Employee; Self; Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT). E. Baek: Employee; Self; LG Chem.
