Variability of skin autofluorescence measurement over 6 and 12 weeks and the influence of benfotiamine treatment.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Measurements of skin autofluorescence (SAF) allow for a simple and noninvasive quantification of tissue advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), a marker linked to the risk of diabetes complications. The aim of this study was to test the repeatability of SAF over 6 and 12 weeks and to test whether benfotiamine, a thiamine prodrug suggested to reduce AGEs formation under hyperglycemic conditions, is able to attenuate SAF when administered over 6 weeks.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study, 22 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) received 900 mg/day benfotiamine or placebo for 6 weeks (washout period of 6 weeks between). At the beginning and at the end of each treatment period, SAF was assessed in the fasting state, as well as 2, 4, and 6 h following a mixed test meal.

RESULTS:

The respective intra-individual and inter-individual variability of fasting SAF was 6.9% and 24.5% within 6 weeks and 10.9% and 23.1% within 12 weeks. The respective variability calculated for triplicate comparisons was 9.9% and 27.7%. A short-term therapy with benfotiamine did not influence SAF significantly, nor did we find a significant postprandial SAF increase.

CONCLUSIONS:

In patients with T2DM, repeated, timely spaced SAF measurements have an intra-subject variability of below 11%. Using these data, sample sizes were calculated for interventional studies aiming at reducing SAF. Benfotiamine treatment for 6 weeks did not significantly influence SAF; for this, a longer-term therapy is probably needed.

• Authors: Alin Stirban, Alexandra Pop, Annelie Fischer, Sascha Heckermann, Diethelm Tschoepe
• Journal: Diabetes technology & therapeutics (Diabetes Technol Ther) Vol. 15 Issue 9 Pg. 733-7 (Sep 2013) ISSN: 1557-8593 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 23964994 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Chelating Agents
• Glycation End Products, Advanced
• Thiamine
• benphothiamine

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Chelating Agents (therapeutic use)
• Cross-Over Studies
• Diabetes Complications (diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 (drug therapy)
• Double-Blind Method
• Female
• Fluorescence
• Glycation End Products, Advanced (metabolism)
• Humans
• Hyperglycemia (blood)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Postprandial Period (physiology)
• Reproducibility of Results
• Skin (drug effects)
• Thiamine (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)