Benefit of Pitavastatin plus Sitagliptin Combination Treatment on Hyperinsulinemia and Fatty Liver Damage in Obese Mice

inhibitors) are used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia accompanied by obesity, and have been shown to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in a prospective metaanalysis [3]. Pitavastatin is a statin that has been reported to ameliorate severe steatohepatitis by enhancing hepatic free acid β-oxidation activity in aromatase-deficient (Ar-/-) mice [4]. It has also been shown to inhibit hepatic fibrosis in a NonAlcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) model in rats [5]. Therefore, statins such as pitavastatin effectively prevent the development of obesity-related hyperlipidemia. On the other hand, Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV inhibitors (DPP-IV inhibitor), such as sitagliptin, have been used in recent years to improve postprandial glycemic control in T2DM [6]. Furthermore, sitagliptin was shown to improve steatohepatitis by increasing the insulin sensitivity and improving the lipid profiles of High Fat Diet (HFD) induced obese rats [7].