Abstract:Objective To investigate the effect of Saxagliptin on regulating nesfatin-1 secretion and metabolism by observing the levels of the nesfatin-1 and other parameters in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients before and after Saxagliptin treatment. Methods A total of 102 T2DW participants (M : F = 48 : 54) were investigated. The 51 patients (M : F = 24 : 27) in the treatment group were treated with oral glucose-lowering drugs including Saxagliptin, the 51 patients (M : F = 24 : 27) in the control group were treated with oral glucose-lowering agents excluding all DPP-4 inhibitors. Serum nesfatin-1, C-peptide, HOMA-β function, HOMA-IR, HbA1c, LDL-C, HDL-C, BMI and blood pressure at baseline and in 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment were observed and compared. Results Saxagliptin significantly up-regulated nesfatin-1 secretion, increased serum C-peptide; improved HOMA-IR, HOMA-β function, glucose and lipid metabolisms; and reduced BMI and blood pressure. Simple linear regression analysis revealed that serum nesfatin-1 was positively correlated with HOMA-β function, C-peptide and HDL-C, while negatively correlated with the rest parameters. Conclusions Saxagliptin could up-regulate nesfatin-1 secretion, ameliorate islet β-cell's function and insulin resistance as well as the glucose and lipid metabolisms, lower BMI and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. As one of the DPP-4 inhibitors, Saxaglitin has the potential to play fundamental roles in type 2 diabetes mellitus by up-regulating nesfatin-1 secretion besides lowering glucose through inhibiting the degradation of GLP-1.