Anagliptin increases insulin-induced skeletal muscle glucose uptake via an NO-dependent mechanism in mice

Aims/hypothesis Recently, incretin-related agents have been reported to attenuate insulin resistance in animal models, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated whether anagliptin, the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, attenuates skeletal muscle insulin resistance through endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation in the endothelial cells. We used endothelium-specific Irs2 -knockout (ET Irs2 KO) mice, which show skeletal muscle insulin resistance resulting from a reduction of insulin-induced skeletal muscle capillary recruitment as a consequence of impaired eNOS activation. Methods In vivo, 8-week-old male ET Irs2 KO mice were fed regular chow with or without 0.3% (wt/wt) DPP-4 inhibitor for 8 weeks to assess capillary recruitment and glucose uptake by the skeletal muscle. In vitro, human coronary arterial endothelial cells (HCAECs) were used to explore the effect of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) on eNOS activity. Results Treatment with anagliptin ameliorated the impaired insulin-induced increase in capillary blood volume, interstitial insulin concentration and skeletal muscle glucose uptake in ET Irs2 KO mice. This improvement in insulin-induced glucose uptake was almost completely abrogated by the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) antagonist exendin-(9-39). Moreover, the increase in capillary blood volume with anagliptin treatment was also completely inhibited by the NOS inhibitor. GLP-1 augmented eNOS phosphorylation in HCAECs, with the effect completely disappearing after exposure to the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H89. These data suggest that anagliptin treatment enhances insulin-induced capillary recruitment and interstitial insulin concentrations, resulting in improved skeletal muscle glucose uptake by directly acting on the endothelial cells via NO- and GLP-1-dependent mechanisms in vivo. Conclusions/interpretation Anagliptin may be a promising agent to ameliorate skeletal muscle insulin resistance in obese patients with type 2 diabetes.