Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Oct;41(5):218-20.
doi: 10.4103/0253-7613.58510.

Effect of clonidine on blood glucose levels in euglycemic and alloxan-induced diabetic rats and its interaction with glibenclamide

S Manjunath  1 , Santosh N Kugali, Priyadarshani M Deodurg
Affiliations

Effect of clonidine on blood glucose levels in euglycemic and alloxan-induced diabetic rats and its interaction with glibenclamide

S Manjunath et al. Indian J Pharmacol. 2009 Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: Clonidine, a known antihypertensive, is currently used for many purposes including diabetic gastroparesis, postmenopausal hot flushes, opioid/nicotine/alcohol withdrawal. Its effects on carbohydrate metabolism appear to be variable. Hence, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of clonidine on euglycemic and alloxan -induced diabetic rats and its interaction with glibenclamide.

Materials and methods: Alloxan - induced (150 mg/kg, i.p) diabetic rats were divided into six groups of six animals each. Group I - Normal Control; Group II - Nondiabetic + Clonidine (25 mug/kg); Group III - Diabetic Control; Group IV - Diabetic + Glibenclamide (5 mg/kg); Group V - Diabetic + Glibenclamide + Clonidine. All drugs were given orally once daily. Blood glucose was estimated from rat tail vein using glucometer before start of the experiment and at the end of 30 days.

Results: After 30 days of treatment, clonidine (25 mug/kg) produced significant hyperglycemia in both euglycemic and diabetic rats. It also reduced the hypoglycemic effect of glibenclamide in diabetic rats.

Conclusion: The results of present study indicate that clonidine has hyperglycemic effect and it also interacts with glibenclamide to reduce its hypoglycemic activity. If these findings are true to human beings then clonidine should not be used in diabetic patients on sulfonylureas.

Keywords: Clonidine; glibenclamide; hyperglycemia; hypoglycemia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of clonidine and glibenclamide on blood glucose levels in diabetic rats; n = 6; *P ≤ 0.001 as compared to control (Student t test)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fagan NL, Wargo KA, Malone PM, Malesker MA. The Clinical Utility of Clonidine. US Pharmacist. 2006;5:HS2–16.
    1. Stump CS, Hamilton MT, Sowers JR. Effect of antihypertensive agents on the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Mayo Clin Proc. 2006;81:796–806. - PubMed
    1. Smythe GA, Edwards SR. A role of central postsynaptic alpha 2 adrenoreceptors in glucoregulation. Brain Res. 1991;562:225–9. - PubMed
    1. Belhoula M, Ciebiera JP, La Chapelle AD, Boisseau N, Coeurveille D, Rancoules-Aime M. Clonidine premedication improves metabolic control in type2 diabetic patients during ophthalmic surgery. Br J Anaesthesia. 2003;90:434–9. - PubMed
    1. Siegel D, Swislocki Arthur LM. Effects of Antihypertensives on glucose metabolism. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders. 2007;5:211–9. - PubMed