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. 2024 Aug 6;16(8):e66322.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.66322. eCollection 2024 Aug.

Imeglimin for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Its Efficacy and Insight Into the Potential Benefit for Renal and Liver Function

Asuka Uto  1 , Yuki Ishinoda  1 , Takamasa Asaga  1 , Yuki Tanahashi  1 , Ai Kobayashi  1 , Hitomi Meshino  1 , Maki Okazaki  1 , Kengo Tomita  2 , Akira Kasuga  1 , Naoki Oshima  3
Affiliations

Imeglimin for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Its Efficacy and Insight Into the Potential Benefit for Renal and Liver Function

Asuka Uto et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Introduction Imeglimin is a novel oral antihyperglycaemic drug used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In 2022, its clinical use was approved in Japan; however, there is limited data on its practical efficacy. Thus, we retrospectively investigated the clinical efficacy of imeglimin for six months at the National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan. Material and methods We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis to elucidate the efficacy of imeglimin in the treatment of T2DM. Ten patients were enrolled, and their biomarkers and geographic data were analyzed. The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c level at six months after imeglimin treatment compared to the baseline values. Other demographic and laboratory parameters, including sex, age, BMI, renal function, liver function, lipid profile, and transient elastography data, were also analyzed. Results A significant improvement in the HbA1c levels (8.1 % at baseline to 6.9 % at six months after treatment, P value = 0.01) was observed in this study, suggesting that imeglimin is a promising option for treating T2DM. In addition, no negative effects on renal function were observed, and albumin levels tended to decrease from baseline values. Among the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) cases, liver conditions, especially fat content, tended to improve in this short-term period. Conclusions Imeglimin is suggested to have a beneficial effect not only on glycemic control but also on renal and liver function. However, further studies are required to better understand the long-term efficacy of this drug.

Keywords: diabetic nephropathy (dn); imeglimin; microalbuminuria (ma); nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (nafld); transient elastography (fibroscan).

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethics Committee of National Defense Medical College issued approval 4728. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Changes in DN stages and UACR levels from baseline to six months after imeglimin.
A: The changes in DN stages of enrolled patients. B: The change in UACR at six months after imeglimin treatment. Data are presented as means (± standard error of the mean, SEM). P values are calculated by a paired t-test (vs. baseline parameters). DN, diabetic nephropathy; UACR, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio
Figure 2
Figure 2. Changes in FibroScan data from baseline to six months after imeglimin treatment.
A: The changes of LSM from baseline to six months after imeglimin treatment. B: The changes of CAP from baseline to six months after imeglimin treatment. P values are calculated by a paired t-test (vs. baseline parameters). LSM, liver stiffness measurement; CAP, controlled attenuation parameter
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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