Beneficial Effect of Salicylates: Insulin Action, Secretion or Clearance?

The possibility that obesity-associated inflammatory changes may play a role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (2DM) has led to increased interest in the possibility that salicylates might represent a useful treatment to improve glucose tolerance. Several studies, performed in patients with 2DM, as well as in nondiabetic, obese individuals, have demonstrated that salicylates have beneficial effects on glucose and insulin metabolism, but have not led to a coherent view as to the mechanism(s) involved.

In this research proposal we will use specific methods to quantify insulin mediated glucose uptake (IMGU), glucose-stimulated insulin secretion rate (GS-ISR), and insulin clearance (I-Cl) in overweight/obese, nondiabetic, insulin resistant individuals. We will use the insulin suppression test (IST) to quantify IMGU in nondiabetic, overweight/obese volunteers to identify those individuals who are sufficiently insulin resistant to be enrolled in this study. We will then use the graded glucose infusion technique in these insulin resistant subjects to generate specific measures of both GS-IS and I-Cl. Following these baseline measurements, salsalate or placebo will be administered for one month to the participants, after which time the IST and the graded glucose infusion will be repeated to quantify and compare the changes in IMGU, GS-ISR, and I-Cl that have resulted from salsalate versus placebo. These results will provide for the first time quantitative data of the effect of salicylates on IMGU, GS-ISR, and I-Cl in overweight/obese, insulin resistant, nondiabetic individuals.