Anti-diabetic combination therapy with pioglitazone or glimepiride added to metformin on the AGE-RAGE axis: a randomized prospective study.

These data can help to explain the benefits of oral anti-diabetic therapy in relation to the reduction of cardiovascular risk, as suggested by variations in AGE/s-RAGE ratio as biochemical marker of endothelial function; in particular, treatment with pioglitazone seems to offer greater long-term benefit on AGE-RAGE axis.