Telmisartan improves the metabolic, hematological and inflammasome indices in non-alcoholic fatty liver infiltration: A pilot open-label placebo-controlled study
Marwan S.M. Al-Nimer 1 * , Vian A.W. Esmail 2, O. Mohammad 3
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1 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq2 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq3 Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the pleotropic effects of telmisartan against the metabolic derangement, and the maturation of the inflammasome (interleukins 1β and 18) that associated with NAFLD.

Methods:
This open label clinical trial was carried in the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine at University of Sulaimani in cooperation with the Shar Hospital in the Sulaimani-Iraq. A total number of 51 NAFLD patients were recruited and grouped randomly into Group I (n=25) treated with placebo and Group II (n=26) treated with telmisartan (20 mg single oral dose, daily) for 8 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, fasting lipid profile and glucose levels, hematological indices, hepatic-fibrosis assessment, and inflammatory (including interleukins 1β and -18) markers were determined.

Results:
Telmisartan significantly reduced the waist circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride-glucose index, and aspartate transaminase enzyme. A significant high value of hepatic fibrosis in Group I patients compared with Group II patients was observed. Telmisartan significantly reduced the inflammasome markers, granulocyte number and without producing a significant effect against platelet count.

Conclusions:
Short-term therapy with low dose telmisartan can suppresses the maturation of inflammasome manifested by significant low levels of serum IL-1β and IL-18. This effect associated with improvement of the metabolic derangement and decreasing the liver fibrosis in NAFLD.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

ELECTRON J GEN MED, 2019, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: em142

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/104568

Publication date: 16 May 2019

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Article Downloads: 1067

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