Effect of rosiglitazone and nateglinide on serum glucose and lipid profile alone or in combination with the biguanide metformin in diabetic rats

This study was designed to investigate the effect of I month treatment with nateglinide, rosiglitazone, metformin and their different combinations on streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ at a dose 55 mg kg(-1). The plasma glucose, total lipid, cholesterol, triglyceride and protein components were measured before and 15 and 30 days after the administration of the antidiabetic agents. Results: After the treatment, a significant reduction was observed in fasting blood glucose levels in all groups. Rosiglitazone or metformin were found to exhibit a hypolipidaemic effect in diabetic rats when administered alone or in combination. In comparison, nateglinide, when used alone, resulted in a significant increase in cholesterol and total lipid levels. This effect was masked when nateglinide was administered concurrently with metformin and hypolipidaemic effect was noticed. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that compared with nateglinide, rosiglitazone has a more favorable effect on the lipid profile in STZ-induced diabetes in rats. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.