ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Telmisartan improves the metabolic, hematological and inflammasome indices in non-alcoholic fatty liver infiltration: A pilot open-label placebo-controlled study
 
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1
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq
 
2
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq
 
3
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq
 
 
Online publication date: 2019-05-16
 
 
Publication date: 2019-05-16
 
 
Electron J Gen Med 2019;16(3):em142
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the pleotropic effects of telmisartan against the metabolic derangement, and the maturation of the inflammasome (interleukins 1β and 18) that associated with NAFLD.

Methods:
This open label clinical trial was carried in the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine at University of Sulaimani in cooperation with the Shar Hospital in the Sulaimani-Iraq. A total number of 51 NAFLD patients were recruited and grouped randomly into Group I (n=25) treated with placebo and Group II (n=26) treated with telmisartan (20 mg single oral dose, daily) for 8 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, fasting lipid profile and glucose levels, hematological indices, hepatic-fibrosis assessment, and inflammatory (including interleukins 1β and -18) markers were determined.

Results:
Telmisartan significantly reduced the waist circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride-glucose index, and aspartate transaminase enzyme. A significant high value of hepatic fibrosis in Group I patients compared with Group II patients was observed. Telmisartan significantly reduced the inflammasome markers, granulocyte number and without producing a significant effect against platelet count.

Conclusions:
Short-term therapy with low dose telmisartan can suppresses the maturation of inflammasome manifested by significant low levels of serum IL-1β and IL-18. This effect associated with improvement of the metabolic derangement and decreasing the liver fibrosis in NAFLD.

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