Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) level represents a surrogate marker of cardiovascular risk and an indicator of the ongoing vascular damage. Moreover, EPCs are involved in the pathogenesis of virtually all diabetic complications. Therefore, ways to modulate EPCs are currently considered of utmost importance, especially in high-risk subjects. While many drugs with pleiotropic vasculoprotective effects have shown ability to positively modulate EPCs, there is no data on the effects of specific insulin formulations.

This is a human randomised cross-over comparison trial. The purpose is to compare the effects of two basal insulin analogues (detemir and glargine) added to oral antidiabetic therapy in poorly-controlled type 2 patients with cardiovascular disease on endothelial function and EPC levels.

The aim is to identify significant differences between the two basal insulin analogues in terms of endothelial function and EPC levels, in relation with metabolic control (HbA1c) and change in body weight during the treatment period.

As EPC level is the most innovative outcome measure of this study and represents the primary endpoint, variation in EPC levels during treatment with either insulin will be correlated with changes in HbA1c and weight gain, as explanatory variables. Endothelial dysfunction/damage, measured evaluated using soluble markers, will be the secondary outcome. Given the supposed inverse correlation between EPC and endothelial damage, it is expected that EPC increase reflects amelioration in endothelial biology, a result that may have significant clinical implications in this cohort of high-risk patients.