Effects of troglitazone on blood concentrations of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 in patients with type 2 diabetes and in lean and obese normal subjects.

Low plasma fibrinolytic activity in association with increased plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) levels has been linked to an increased risk of atherosclerosis in obesity and type 2 diabetes. We tested the hypothesis that troglitazone, which improves insulin sensitivity and lowers plasma insulin levels in insulin-resistant obese subjects and patients with type 2 diabetes, would also lower circulating PAI-1 antigen concentrations and activity. We assessed insulin sensitivity (5-h, 80 mU x m(-2) x min(-1) hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp) and measured plasma PAI-1 antigen and activities and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in 14 patients with type 2 diabetes and 20 normal control subjects (10 lean, 10 obese) before and after 3 months of treatment with troglitazone (600 mg/day). At baseline, plasma PAI-1 antigen levels after an overnight fast were significantly higher in the obese (33.5 +/- 4.7 microg/l) and type 2 diabetic subjects (54.9 +/- 6.3 microg/l) than in the lean control subjects (16.3 +/- 3.2 microg/l; P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). Troglitazone decreased plasma PAI-1 antigen concentrations in the diabetic patients (36.8 +/- 5.0 microg/l; P < 0.001 vs. baseline), but the reduction in the obese subjects did not reach statistical significance (baseline, 33.5 +/- 4.7; after troglitazone, 25.6 +/- 5.2 microg/l). Changes in plasma PAI-1 activity paralleled those of PAI-1 antigen. The extent of the reduction in plasma PAI-1 antigen concentrations in the diabetic patients after troglitazone correlated with the reductions in fasting plasma insulin (r = 0.60, P < 0.05), nonesterified fatty acid (r = 0.63, P < 0.02), and glucose concentrations (r = 0.64, P < 0.02) but not with the improvement in glucose disposal rates during the glucose clamps. Three nonresponders to troglitazone with respect to effects on insulin sensitivity and fasting glucose and insulin levels also had no reduction in circulating PAI-1. In conclusion, troglitazone enhances fibrinolytic system activity in insulin-resistant type 2 diabetic patients. This effect appears to be intimately linked to its potential to lower plasma insulin levels and improve glycemic control through its peripheral tissue insulin-sensitizing effects.