According to a new study published in Diabetes Care of July 2016, in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes, mild cognitive impairment may be independently associated with increased DPP-IV activities. “With the potential benefits of concurrent improvement in glycemic control, research of the efficacy of DPP-IV inhibitors for treatment of mild cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetes is awaited,” the researchers wrote. “The possibility of identifying increased plasma DPP-IV activity as a novel biological marker or even as a suitable therapeutic target for the prevention of mild cognitive impairment in elderly type 2 diabetic patients, may represent an avenue of future investigation in this field.” the researchers wrote. “The possibility of identifying increased plasma DPP-IV activity as a novel biological marker or even a suitable therapeutic target for the prevention of mild cognitive impairment in elderly type 2 diabetes patients may represent an avenue of future investigation in this field.”

Researchers sought to determine whether a link exists between plasma DPP-IV activities and mild cognitive impairment. Plasma DPP-IV activity, inflammatory markers and oxidative stress parameters were evaluated and diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment were made based on criteria by the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association.

Compared with participants with lower DPP-IV activities, those with higher DPP-IV activities were older (P<.001), had high levels of BMI, triglycerides, LDL, HbA1c, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, nitrotyrosine and 8-iso prostaglandin F2alpha (8-iso-PGF2a; all P<.05), longer diabetes duration (P=.003) and lower LDL and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores (P<.001). Positive links were found between DPP-IV activity and BMI, HbA1c, IL-6, CRP, nitrotyrosine and 8-iso-PGF2a, and DPP-IV activity was negatively linked to MoCA score (all P<.05).

Overall, 30.3% of participants had mild cognitive impairment and the ORs for mild cognitive impairment increased with increasing DPP-IV quartiles.

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