Diabetes mellitus Type 2 (DMT2) - a progressive insulin secretory defect on the background of
insulin resistance - is one of the major risk factors for atherosclerosis, an inflammatory
disease of the arterial wall, in which leukocytes and oxidized lipoproteins accumulate
leading to formation of fatty streaks and atherosclerotic plaques. Atherosclerosis accounts
for more than 600,000 deaths annually in the U.S. mainly due to acute myocardial infarction
and stroke. Pharmacological therapy of DMT2 includes several drugs used as monotherapy,
although combination therapy between metfomin plus thiazolidinediones (TZD) and/or
dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4I) plus TDZ, may delay atherosclerosis progression
even if the molecular mechanisms are not clear. Even if normoglycemia is achieved, DMT2
patients still displayed a higher risk for developing atherosclerosis suggesting that other
mechanisms of the inflammatory status are involved