Background: Hyperglycemia, a risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease, causes endothelial dysfunction. Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (α-GIs) improve postprandial hyperglycemia (PPHG) and may have favorable effects on associated cardiovascular disease. Effects of α-GIs in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and PPHG remain unclear; thus, we assessed the effect of α-GI miglitol on endothelial function in such patients by digital reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT).
Methods: Fifty-four patients with ACS who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled in the study: 36 with new-onset PPHG and 18 with normal glucose tolerance. Eighteen PPHG patients were given 50 mg of miglitol with each meal for 1 week. Endothelial function was assessed on the basis of the RH-PAT index (RHI) before and after the 1-week miglitol treatment. The other 18 PPHG patients and the 18 NGT patients were not given any anti-diabetic agent for 1 week, and endothelial function was assessed.
Results: Postprandial RHI decreased significantly in patients with PPHG. Miglitol improved PPHG significantly; postprandial RHI also improved (p = 0.007). Significant inverse correlation was found between the postprandial change in RHI and postprandial fasting-to-60-minutes surge in glucose (r = -0.382, p = 0.009). Moreover, the improvement in endothelial function correlated with the reduced postprandial glucose surge achieved with miglitol (r = -0.462, p = 0.001).
Conclusions: Postprandial changes in glucose are related to endothelial dysfunction in ACS. Miglitol-based improvement in PPHG appears to improve endothelial function. The effect of miglitol on glucose-dependent endothelial function might improve outcomes of ACS.