The dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor saxagliptin is a widely used antihyperglycemic agent in patients with type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of saxagliptin on endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes. This was a prospective, multicenter, interventional study. A total of 34 patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled at four university hospitals in Japan. Treatment of patients was initially started with saxagliptin at a dose of 5 mg daily. Assessment of endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) and measurement of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) were conducted at baseline and at 3 months after treatment with saxagliptin. A total of 31 patients with type 2 diabetes were included in the analysis. Saxagliptin significantly increased FMD from 3.1 ± 3.1% to 4.2 ± 2.4% (P = 0.032) and significantly decreased total cholesterol from 190 ± 24 mg/dL to 181 ± 25 mg/dL (P = 0.002), glucose from 160 ± 53 mg/dL to 133 ± 25 mg/dL (P < 0.001), HbA1c from 7.5 ± 0.6% to 7.0 ± 0.6% (P < 0.001), urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio from 63.8 ± 134.2 mg/g to 40.9 ± 83.0 mg/g (P = 0.043), and total SDF-1α from 2108 ± 243 pg/mL to 1284 ± 345 pg/mL (P < 0.001). These findings suggest that saxagliptin is effective for improving endothelial function
