Okuda Y, Mizutani M, Ogawa M, Sone H, Asano M, Tsurushima Y, Morishima Y, Asakura Y, Suzuki S, Isaka M
Department of the Internal Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Diabetes Res. 1993;22(2):87-95.
Twenty non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients were studied to evaluate the hemodynamic effects of lipo-PGE1 (prostaglandin E1 incorporated in lipid microspheres). Improvement of diabetic neuropathy was assessed on the basis of subjective symptoms such as pain, coldness, numbness and dysethesia (subjective) after intravenous administration of lipo-PGE1. After lipo-PGE1 treatment, the subjective symptoms were markedly improved. Hemodynamic effects of this drug on the dorsalis pedis artery were examined using new real-time two-dimensional color Doppler echography. After administration of lipo-PGE1, the cross-sectional area of the dorsalis pedis artery significantly increased from 2.6 +/- 0.2 mm2 to 3.5 +/- 0.2 mm2 (P < 0.01). Moreover, the blood flow index significantly increased from 40 +/- 7 to 61 +/- 11 (P < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that lipo-PGE1 may serve as a useful drug in improving diabetic neuropathy.
