Effect of mosapride on glycemic control and gastric emptying in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with gastropathy

Delay of gastric emptying is one of the factors responsible for unfavorable glycemic control. We investigated the possible effects of mosapride, a digestive tract prokinetic agent, on glycemic control in diabetic patients complicated with gastropathy. Enrolled were 36 type II diabetic patients presenting with mild digestive tract symptoms. They were given mosapride 15 mg per day for 6 months. Seventeen cases were subjected to gastric emptying test according to marker method (administration of a capsule containing 20 pieces of radiopaque marker during breakfast, followed by abdominal X-ray imaging 3 and 5 h later). In 18 cases, HbA(1c) was improved by more than 0.3% for 6 months, whereby these 18 cases were defined as the improvement group. The remaining 18 cases were defined as the non-improvement group. In the gastric emptying study, basal number of the residual markers before administration of mosapride was determined 3 and 5 h later to show 18.3+/-1.8 and 7.6+/-5.1, respectively, in the improvement group while after administration, they were reduced down to 11.2+/-5.1 and 1.4+/-2.5, respectively. In sharp contrast, the basal counterparts in the non-improvement group were 19.1 +/- 1.5, and 16.4 +/- 3.4, respectively, whereas administration failed to reduce the number of the residual markers and they remained to be as high as 19.0 +/- 1.4 and 11. 1 +/- 6.4, respectively. Gastric motility in the improvement group was much more improved by mosapride administration relative to those in the non-improvement group. Mosapride might elicit improvement in the glycemic control in the patients with diabetic gastropathy. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.