Salsalate Improves Glycemic Control in Newly Diagnosed Type 2's

The authors investigated whether treatment with salsalate, an anti-inflammatory medication, improves glycemia in a group of newly diagnosed drug-naive patients with T2DM. The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Diagnosis of T2DM was made within 2 months of enrollment, and participants had not received any anti-glycemic agent. Sixty adults were randomized to receive salsalate (3 g/day) or placebo for 12 weeks and fasting plasma glucose and insulin, glucose 2 h after 75 g oral glucose, HbA1C, lipid profile, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-B were determined before and after treatment.  

The results showed that Salsalate reduced fasting glucose from 6.3 ± 0.2 mmol/l to 5.4 ± 0.2 mmol/l (P < 0.01) and TG from 1.9 ± 0.2 mmol/l to 1.5 ± 0.2 mmol/l (P < 0.03). Fasting insulin levels were increased in the salsalate group from 18.8 ± 1.6 to 21.6 ± 3.9, while they decreased in the placebo group.  

In addition, HbA1c rose in the placebo group from 6.2% ± 0.2 to 7.9% ± 1.1 mmol/mol, but decreased in the intervention group from 6.1% ± 0.5 to 5.6% ± 0.2 mmol/mol (P < 0.04 for between-group comparison). HOMA-IR did not change but HOMA-B increased ~1.7-fold (P = 0.06) in the salsalate group. 

Acta Diabetologia, 09/27/2011