EFFECT OF A SINGLE ORAL DOSE OF ACIPIMOX ON GLUCOSE-UTILIZATION AFTER INTRAVENOUS GLUCOSE-LOAD IN OBESE PATIENTS

Singe oral doses of 250 mg acipimox (AX), a pyrazinoic acid derivative with blood lipid lowering activity, and placebo (P) were administered at 4-8-day intervals to 10 obese post-menopausal female patients, aged 50-59 yr, in a crossover double-blind study. Whether an impairment of glucose tolerance and a raise in plasma .beta.-hydroxybutyrate (HOB) could be caused by AX, as had been observed with nicotinic acid was assessed. An i.v. glucose tolerance test (GTT) was carried out 1 h after each administration of either AX or P. Plasma levels of glucose (G), free fatty acids (FFA), triglycerides (TG), HOB and cholesterol (CHOL) were determined before P or AX administration, then at various intervals over 2 h. The average glucose utilization coefficient K (Conrad) calculated over 60 min after i.v. GTT was significantly higher (by 23% on average) after AX than after placebo (P < 0.05). Plasma FFA were significantly lower after AX (P < 0.01), while TG, HOB and CHOL presented no statistically significant changes, although the average TG levels were lower after AX. AX, besides its lipid lowering properties, may have a favorable activity on glucose metabolism.