Gliclazide decreases low-density lipoprotein oxidation and monocyte adhesion to the endothelium.

Increasing evidence implicates oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and advanced glycation end products (AGE) in the atherogenesis associated with diabetes mellitus. In the present study, we examined the in vitro effects of gliclazide on LDL oxidation and monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells induced by oxidized LDL and glycated albumin. To assess the clinical relevance of our in vitro findings, we also measured the effect on monocyte adhesion of gliclazide administration to type 2 diabetic patients. Incubation of human monocytes and endothelial cells with increasing concentrations of gliclazide (0 to 10 microg/mL) and native LDL (100 microg/mL) induced a dose-dependent diminution of cell-mediated LDL oxidation. Pretreatment of endothelial cells with gliclazide (0 to 10 microg/mL) before addition of native LDL (100 microg/mL) or glycated albumin (100 microg/mL) resulted in a dose-dependent diminution of oxidized LDL- and glycated albumin-induced monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. In type 2 diabetic patients, administration of gliclazide inhibits the increased adhesiveness of monocytes to levels similar to those observed in control subjects. These results indicate that gliclazide is an antioxidant and suggest a beneficial effect of this drug in the prevention of atherosclerosis associated with type 2 diabetes.