Aims/hypothesis The aim of this work was to assess the effect of liraglutide on ectopic fat accumulation in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods This study is a pre-specified... Show moreAims/hypothesis The aim of this work was to assess the effect of liraglutide on ectopic fat accumulation in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods This study is a pre-specified subanalysis of the MAGNetic resonance Assessment of VICTOza efficacy in the Regression of cardiovascular dysfunction In type 2 diAbetes mellitus (MAGNA VICTORIA) study, with primary endpoints being the effects of liraglutide on left ventricular diastolic and systolic function. The MAGNA VICTORIA study was a single-centre, parallel-group trial in 50 individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (BMI >25 kg/m(2)) who were randomly assigned (1:1, stratified for sex and insulin use) to receive liraglutide 1.8 mg once daily or placebo for 26 weeks, added to standard care. Participants, study personnel and outcome assessors were blinded to treatment allocation. The secondary endpoints of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and epicardial fat were measured with MRI. Hepatic triacylglycerol content (HTGC) and myocardial triacylglycerol content (MTGC) were quantified with proton MR spectroscopy. Between-group differences (change from baseline) were tested for significance using ANCOVA. Mean differences with 95% CIs were reported. Results The trial was completed in 2016. Twenty-four participants were randomised to receive liraglutide and 26 to receive placebo. One patient in the liraglutide group withdrew consent before having received the study drug and was not included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Liraglutide (n = 23) vs placebo (n = 26) significantly reduced body weight (liraglutide 98.4 +/- 13.8 kg to 94.3 +/- 14.9 kg; placebo 94.5 +/- 13.1 kg to 93.9 +/- 13.2 kg; estimated treatment effect -4.5 [95% CI -6.4, -2.6] kg). HbA(1c) declined in both groups without a significant treatment effect of liraglutide vs placebo (liraglutide 66.7 +/- 11.5 mmol/mol to 55.0 +/- 13.2 mmol/mol [8.4 +/- 1.1% to 7.3 +/- 1.2%]; placebo 64.7 +/- 10.2 mmol/mol to 56.9 +/- 6.9 mmol/mol [8.2 +/- 1.0% to 7.5 +/- 0.7%]; estimated treatment effect -2.9 [95% CI -8.1, 2.3] mmol/mol or -0.3 [95% CI -0.8, 0.2]%). VAT did not change significantly between groups (liraglutide 207 +/- 87 cm(2) to 203 +/- 88 cm(2); placebo 204 +/- 63 cm(2) to 200 +/- 55 cm(2); estimated treatment effect -7 [95% CI -24, 10] cm(2)), while SAT was reduced by a significantly greater extent with liraglutide than with placebo (liraglutide 361 +/- 142 cm(2) to 339 +/- 131 cm(2); placebo 329 +/- 107 cm(2) to 333 +/- 125 cm(2); estimated treatment effect -29 [95% CI -51, -8] cm(2)). Epicardial fat did not change significantly between groups (liraglutide 8.9 +/- 4.3 cm(2) to 9.1 +/- 4.7 cm(2); placebo 9.6 +/- 4.1 cm(2) to 9.6 +/- 4.6 cm(2); estimated treatment effect 0.2 [95% CI -1.5, 1.8] cm(2)). Change in HTGC was not different between groups (liraglutide 18.1 +/- 11.2% to 12.0 +/- 7.7%; placebo 18.4 +/- 9.4% to 14.7 +/- 10.0%; estimated treatment effect -2.1 [95% CI -5.3, 1.0]%). MTGC was not different after treatment with liraglutide (1.5 +/- 0.6% to 1.2 +/- 0.6%) vs placebo (1.3 +/- 0.5% to 1.2 +/- 0.6%), with an estimated treatment effect of -0.1 (95% CI -0.4, 0.2)%. There were no adjudicated serious adverse events. Conclusions/interpretation Compared with placebo, liraglutide-treated participants lost significantly more body weight. Liraglutide primarily reduced subcutaneous fat but not visceral, hepatic, myocardial or epicardial fat. Future larger studies are needed to confirm the results of this secondary endpoint study. Funding This study was funded by Novo Nordisk A/S (Bagsvaerd, Denmark). Show less
Background The pathogenesis and cardiovascular impact of type 2 diabetes (T2D) may be different in South Asians compared with other ethnic groups. The phenotypic characterization of diabetic... Show moreBackground The pathogenesis and cardiovascular impact of type 2 diabetes (T2D) may be different in South Asians compared with other ethnic groups. The phenotypic characterization of diabetic cardiomyopathy remains debated and little is known regarding differences in T2D-related cardiovascular remodeling across ethnicities. We aimed to characterize the differences in left ventricular (LV) diastolic and systolic function, LV structure, myocardial tissue characteristics and aortic stiffness between T2D patients and controls and to assess the differences in T2D-related cardiovascular remodeling between South Asians and Europeans. Methods T2D patients and controls of South Asian and European descent underwent 3 Tesla cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and cardiac proton-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS). Differences in cardiovascular parameters between T2D patients and controls were examined using ANCOVA and were reported as mean (95% CI). Ethnic group comparisons in the association of T2D with cardiovascular remodeling were made by adding the interaction term between ethnicity and diabetes status to the model. Results A total of 131 individuals were included (54 South Asians [50.1 +/- 8.7 years, 33% men, 33 patients vs. 21 controls) and 77 Europeans (58.8 +/- 7.0 years, 56% men, 48 patients vs. 29 controls)]. The ratio of the transmitral early and late peak filling rate (E/A) was lower in T2D patients compared with controls, in South Asians [- 0.20 (- 0.36; - 0.03), P = 0.021] and Europeans [- 0.20 (- 0.36; - 0.04), P = 0.017], whereas global longitudinal strain and aortic pulse wave velocity were similar. South Asian T2D patients had a higher LV mass [+ 22 g (15; 30), P < 0.001] (P for interaction by ethnicity = 0.005) with a lower extracellular volume fraction [- 1.9% (- 3.4; - 0.4), P = 0.013] (P for interaction = 0.114), whilst European T2D patients had a higher myocardial triglyceride content [+ 0.59% (0.35; 0.84), P = 0.001] (P for interaction = 0.002) than their control group. Conclusions Diabetic cardiomyopathy was characterized by impaired LV diastolic function in South Asians and Europeans. Increased LV mass was solely observed among South Asian T2D patients, whereas differences in myocardial triglyceride content between T2D patients and controls were only present in the European cohort. The diabetic cardiomyopathy phenotype may differ between subsets of T2D patients, for example across ethnicities, and tailored strategies for T2D management may be required. Show less
