PPARα Agonist Fenofibrate Reduced the Secreting Load of ß-Cells in Hypertriglyceridemia Patients with Normal Glucose Tolerance.

ABSTRACT

Hypertriglyceridemia is an important risk factor associated with insulin resistance and ß-cell dysfunction. This study investigated the effects of hypertriglyceridemia and fenofibrate treatment on insulin sensitivity and ß-cell function in subjects with normal glucose tolerance. A total of 1974 subjects with normal glucose tolerance were divided into the normal TG group (NTG group, n = 1302) and hypertriglyceridemia group (HTG group, n = 672). Next, 92 patients selected randomly from 672 patients with hypertriglyceridemia were assigned to a 24-week fenofibrate treatment. The HTG group had increased waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and homeostasis model assessment of ß-cell function (HOMA-ß) and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) compared with the NTG group (all P < 0.01). The 24-week fenofibrate treatment significantly decreased the WC, BMI, TG, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-ß levels and increased the HDL-C levels in the patients with hypertriglyceridemia (WC, BMI, and HOMA-IR P < 0.05; TG, HDL-C, and HOMA-ß P < 0.01). The fenofibrate treatment significantly alleviated insulin resistance and reduced the secreting load of ß-cells in the hypertriglyceridemia patients with normal glucose tolerance.