Vitamin E versus propolis as an add-on therapy to sitagliptin/metformin on body mass index and glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is represented worldwide as a healthcare challenge. Various treatments have been used in an attempt to improve glycemic control and decrease the disease's devastating complications. The present study aimed to assess the effect on diabetes-relevant parameters of the combination therapy with sitagliptin plus metformin in type 2 diabetic patients using adjuvant vitamin E or propolis as add-on therapy. For this purpose, three serum samples were collected from patients; first visit (baseline) and 8-week vitamin E added to their course of therapy, then serum sample collected at second visit followed by a washout period of one week and propolis added to the list of patients' therapy for additional 8-weeks and serum collected at the end of the 8-weeks (third visit). The collected samples were frozen until analysis. The baseline and post-therapy samples were analyzed for fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycated hemoglobin (HBA1c), C-peptide, and insulin; and the results were analyzed statistically. The results confirmed that vitamin E and propolis have both improved measured parameters through significant reduction of FBS and HBA1c together with improved insulin sensitivity through significant reduction of insulin level and C-peptide compared to baseline levels. Moreover, propolis has shown a higher effect over vitamin E shown by its increased positive effects on measured parameters. The study concluded that adjuvant addition of either propolis or vitamin E could improve glycemic control and associated parameters of insulin and relevant C-peptide level.