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Abstract
Objective: Endothelial dysfunction (ED) plays a role in diabetic cardiovascular complications. Hyperglycemia increases cytockines involved in vascular inflammation. Inhibition of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) exerts a relaxation on corpora cavernosa and has cardioprotective properties. The effect of chronic sildenafil treatment, on ED markers and metabolic parameters in a non-randomized study on men with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), was investigated.
Research design and methods: Twenty-eight T2DM patients (61.2 ± 7.8 years, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 7.9 ± 1.3%, duration of diabetes 11.5 ± 7.8 years) were treated with sildenafil 100 mg/d for 3 months. Baseline and postprandial glycemia, insulin, HbA1c, HOMA index, lipids, glomerular filtration rate, homocysteine were assessed at each visit. P-selectin (CD62P), CD14/42b, CD14/41, ICAM (CD54), PECAM (CD31) and CD11b/CD18, were evaluated, after monocyte isolation with flow-cytometry, before and after treatment.
Results: After 3 months, sildenafil decreased P-selectin (p < 0.05), post-prandial glycemia (p < 0.01), HbA1c (p < 0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.01) and increased high-density lipoprotein (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: PDE5 inhibition, in T2DM patients, reduces the endothelial function marker P-selectin and exerts a beneficial effect on glycometabolic control.
Acknowledgment
Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00692237.
Declaration of interest
The paper has been funded academically by Sapienza University of Rome. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.