The Effect of Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibition on Growth Hormone Secretion in Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Adults with abdominal obesity are at high risk for cardiovascular disease and also exhibit diminished growth hormone (GH) secretion; the latter further contributes to the development of visceral adiposity, impaired fibrinolysis and inflammation.Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), the primary stimulus for endogenous GH secretion, is a substrate of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4); inhibition of DPP4 with the currently available anti-diabetic therapy, sitagliptin, may therefore increase GH secretion by decreasing the degradation of GHRH. The proposed research will test the hypothesis that chronic sitagliptin therapy will enhance GH secretion and vascular function while improving glucose tolerance in patients with impaired GH secretion who are at risk for the development of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, specifically obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Sitagliptin; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

Thirty-four obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) females (18-40 years old) with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) will participate in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. The use of oral contraceptives or metformin will be discontinued at least 30 days prior. In females experiencing monthly cycles, the outpatient visit will take place during the mid-luteal phase of the participant's menstrual cycle and the inpatient visit will take place during the late follicular phase.

Subjects will be randomized to treatment order (sitagliptin 100 mg daily vs placebo) using a block randomization algorithm with a block size of two. The dose of sitagliptin was chosen as it is currently the FDA-recommended dose of sitagliptin for type 2 diabetic patients with unimpaired renal function. Subjects will receive standardized dietary counseling throughout the study; visits will be standardized to the menstrual cycle when possible. Subjects will take each therapy for one month; a minimum one month wash-out will separate study treatments. Side effects and compliance with study medication will be assessed at each visit in the clinical research center (CRC).

Each subject will undergo one outpatient visit and one inpatient visit during each treatment. On each study day, subjects will report fasting to the CRC in the morning having abstained from exercise that morning. On each study day, subjects will receive an intravenous catheter. Subjects will undergo an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) during the outpatient study visit. During the inpatient study visit, endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation will be assessed using flow-mediated dilation technique with ultrasound. Standardized meals will be provided at lunch and dinner. Body composition will be determined in the afternoon. At 8 PM overnight frequent sampling for venous GH will begin every 10 minutes for 12 hours to determine overnight GH secretion.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 23
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
      • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 40 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Females, age 18-40 years
• BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2

• Diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome defined by 2003 Rotterdam criteria as meeting two out of the three below criteria :

  • Oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea
  • clinical or biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenism (hirsutism and/or documented upper normal or elevated serum testosterone in the absence of exogenous hormone therapy or Metformin)
  • documented history of polycystic ovaries on ultrasound examination

Exclusion Criteria:

• Smoking
• Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, as defined by a fasting glucose of 126 mg/dL or greater at the time of screening visit or the use of anti-diabetic medication
• Hypertension, as defined by an untreated seated systolic blood pressure (SBP) greater than 150 mmHg and/or an untreated diastolic blood pressure (DBP) greater than 95 mmHg at the time of screening visit or the use of anti-hypertensive medication
• History of reported or recorded hypoglycemia (plasma glucose < 70 mg/dL)
• Pregnancy and/or Breast-Feeding (Negative serum pregnancy test will be confirmed at screening visit and every study visit.)
• Surgical menopause, defined as s/p total hysterectomy including bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
• Use of transdermal or oral contraceptive therapy. The use of these contraceptives must be discontinued at least 8 weeks prior to study initiation.
• The use of insulin sensitizers, specifically Metformin or thiazolidinediones must be discontinued 8 weeks prior to study initiation.
• Anemia defined as hematocrit <35% at screening visit
• Cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, including history of myocardial infarction, history of congestive heart failure, history of stroke
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Abnormal thyroid hormone levels (TSH), prolactin, or morning 17 hydroxyprogesterone at the time of screening visit
• Impaired renal function, defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60
• Impaired hepatic function (AST or ALT > 2 X upper limit of normal range)
• Treatment with an investigational drug in the 1 month preceding the study
• Allergy to any of the medications used in this protocol
• Regular work of a night-shift or unusual schedule which may disrupt circadian rhythm.
• Personal or Family History (defined as first degree relative) of Pancreatic Cancer
• Personal history of Pancreatitis or known pancreatic lesions
• Coagulopathy as defined by history
• Regular NSAID use, including but not limited to, naproxen, ibuprofen, and aspirin
• Mental conditions rendering the subject unable to understand the nature, scope, and possible consequences of the study
• Inability to comply with the protocol, e.g., uncooperative attitude, inability to return for follow-up visits, and unlikelihood of completing the study
• Any underlying or acute disease requiring regular medication that could possibly pose a threat to the subject or make implementation of the protocol or interpretation of the study results difficult

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Sitagliptin, then Placebo; Sitagliptin 100 mg by mouth daily for 30 days followed by Placebo daily for 30 days	Drug: Sitagliptin; Sitagliptin 100 mg by mouth daily for 30 Days; Other Names: Januvia; Drug: Placebo; 1 placebo pill by mouth per day for 30 days
Experimental: Placebo, then Sitagliptin; Placebo daily for 30 days followed by Sitagliptin 100 mg daily for 30 days	Drug: Sitagliptin; Sitagliptin 100 mg by mouth daily for 30 Days; Other Names: Januvia; Drug: Placebo; 1 placebo pill by mouth per day for 30 days

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean Overnight Growth Hormone Levels	Growth hormone levels were determined every 10 minutes from 8 PM until 8 AM during the inpatient visit on the last day of each treatment. A mean of the GH levels was calculated for each participant, and then the value from each participant was averaged across all participants.	At completion of 30 days of placebo treatment and at completion of 30 days of sitagliptin treatment; every 10 minutes from 8 PM until 8 AM.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Early Insulin Secretion During Oral Glucose Tolerance Test	Oral glucose tolerance testing was performed with 75 grams of glucose solution. Baseline venous blood samples of insulin were obtained prior to ingestion of oral glucose solution (time 0). Insulin levels were then obtained through a peripheral IV line every 15 minutes for 270 minutes after glucose solution is swallowed. Early insulin secretion was determined by calculating area under the curve using data (i.e. insulin levels) obtained at baseline (time 0), 15 minutes and 30 minutes.	During Outpatient Visit (after 2 weeks of therapy) during placebo and sitagliptin treatment periods. Insulin levels were obtained at time 0, 15 and 30 minutes following 75 gram glucose ingestion.
Area Under the Curve (AUC) for Blood Glucoses During 75 Gram Oral Glucose Tolerance Test	Oral glucose tolerance testing was performed with 75 grams of glucose solution. Baseline blood glucose was obtained prior to ingestion of oral glucose solution (time 0). Blood glucose levels were then obtained through a peripheral IV line every 15 minutes from timepoint 0 until 120 minutes to calculate the area under the curve.	During Outpatient Visit (after 2 weeks of therapy) during placebo and sitagliptin treatment periods. Every 15 minutes from time 0 to 120 minutes after oral glucose ingestion.
Visceral Adipose Tissue	During the inpatient visit of each treatment (placebo and sitagliptin), visceral adipose tissue was determined by a certified densitometrist using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry with enCore software (v. 13.6)	At completion of 30 days of placebo treatment and at completion of 30 days of sitagliptin treatment.
Vascular Function (Endothelium-dependent Vasodilation)	Endothelium-dependent vasodilation was evaluated by measuring the diameter of the brachial artery under basal (i.e. rest) condition and during reactive hyperemia. The percentage change in diameter (i.e. endothelium-dependent vasodilation) was calculated as percent change=[(peak diameter-baseline diameter)/baseline diameter]*100. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation was determined twice during the study: at completion of 30 days of placebo treatment and at completion of 30 days of sitagliptin treatment.	Vascular function was determined by measuring brachial artery diameter at rest and during reactive hyperemia and calculating percent change. This was determined after 30 days of placebo treatment and after 30 days of sitagliptin treatment.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Vanderbilt University
• Collaborators: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jessica Devin, MD MSCI, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Devin JK, Nian H, Celedonio JE, Wright P, Brown NJ. Sitagliptin Decreases Visceral Fat and Blood Glucose in Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020 Jan 1;105(1):136-51. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgz028.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 22, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): April 24, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 8, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2020
• Last Verified: April 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Growth Hormone; Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Neoplasms; Endocrine System Diseases; Disease; Ovarian Cysts; Cysts; Ovarian Diseases; Adnexal Diseases; Gonadal Disorders; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Syndrome; Hypoglycemic Agents; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Enzyme Inhibitors; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Protease Inhibitors; Incretins; Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors; Sitagliptin Phosphate
• Other Study ID Numbers: 131969; K23HL119602-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)