Possible Mechanisms and Molecular Signaling of Incretins Against the Development of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Publisher Pubmed



Salami R¹ ; Salami M¹ ; Mafi A² ; Aarabi MH² ; Vakili O² ; Asemi Z³
Source: Current Molecular Pharmacology Published:2023

Abstract

The increasing number of cases of diabetes mellitus (DM) and related diseases has become a global health concern. In this context, controlling blood glucose levels is critical to pre-vent and/or slow down the development of diabetes-related complications. Incretins, as gut-derived hormones that trigger the post-meal secretion of insulin, are a well-known family of blood glucose modulators. Currently, incretin medications, including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, are extensively used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Several experimental and clinical studies illus-trate that these metabolic hormones exert their antidiabetic effects through multiple molecular mechanisms. Accordingly, the current review aims to investigate key mechanisms and signaling pathways, such as the cAMP/PKA, Nrf2, PI3K/Akt, and AMPK pathways, associated with the an-tidiabetic effects of incretins. It also summarizes the outcomes of a group of clinical trials evalu-ating the incretins’ antidiabetic potential in diabetic patients. © 2023 Bentham Science Publishers.