Cited by 824Diabetes Treatment and ManagementPancreatic function and diabetesDiabetes Management and Research

The role of incretins in glucose homeostasis and diabetes treatment

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Kim, Wook, Egan, Josephine M.·2008·Pharmacological Reviews

Abstract

Incretins are gut hormones that are secreted from enteroendocrine cells into the blood within minutes after eating. One of their many physiological roles is to regulate the amount of insulin that is secreted after eating. In this manner, as well as others to be described in this review, their final common raison d'être is to aid in disposal of the products of digestion. There are two incretins, known as glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), that share many common actions in the pancreas but have distinct actions outside of the pancreas. Both incretins are rapidly deactivated by an enzyme called dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4). A lack of secretion of incretins or an increase in their clearance are not pathogenic factors in diabetes. However, in type 2 diabetes (T2DM), GIP no longer modulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion, even at supraphysiological (pharmacological) plasma levels, and therefore GIP incompetence is detrimental to beta-cell function, especially after eating. GLP-1, on the other hand, is still insulinotropic in T2DM, and this has led to the development of compounds that activate the GLP-1 receptor with a view to improving insulin secretion. Since 2005, two new classes of drugs based on incretin action have been approved for lowering blood glucose levels in T2DM: an incretin mimetic (exenatide, which is a potent long-acting agonist of the GLP-1 receptor) and an incretin enhancer (sitagliptin, which is a DPP4 inhibitor). Exenatide is injected subcutaneously twice daily and its use leads to lower blood glucose and higher insulin levels, especially in the fed state. There is glucose-dependency to its insulin secretory capacity, making it unlikely to cause low blood sugars (hypoglycemia). DPP4 inhibitors are orally active and they increase endogenous blood levels of active incretins, thus leading to prolonged incretin action. The elevated levels of GLP-1 are thought to be the mechanism underlying their blood glucose-lowering effects.

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Crossref · 10.1124/pr.108.000604

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  • Reversing GIP resistance while enhancing GLP-1 effects is thought to bolster the incretin effect more than GLP-1 receptor agonism alone and create synergistic effects on glucose control.

    “Reversing GIP resistance while simultaneously enhancing the effects of GLP-1 is thought to bolster the previously described incretin effect even more than GLP-1 receptor agonism alone and create synergistic effects on glucose control”

    From Tirzepatide: Clinical review of the twincretin injectable (2023) · cites this paper as [19]

    Section V.B reports additive effects of GLP-1 and GIP on insulin secretion in β-cell lines, but only at submaximal concentrations. Section VI.A raises the possibility that stimulating both receptors might benefit people with type 2 diabetes. Neither passage establishes that reversing GIP resistance produces synergistic glucose control or improves the incretin effect more than GLP-1 receptor agonism alone; page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In non-diabetic subjects, incretins are responsible for 50-70% of total insulin secreted after oral glucose.

    “In non-diabetic subjects, Incretins are responsible for 50–70% of the total insulin secreted after oral glucose administration.[23–25]”

    From Postprandial Reactive Hypoglycemia (2019) · cites this paper as [24]

    The Background and Introduction states that the incretin effect accounts for at least 50% of insulin secreted after oral glucose. This supports the lower end of the claim, but the passage does not establish a 70% upper bound; no page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Recent research has demonstrated that it is possible to reverse GIP resistance.

    “recent research has demonstrated that it is possible to reverse GIP resistance.”

    From Tirzepatide: Clinical review of the twincretin injectable (2023) · cites this paper as [19]

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Authors
Kim, W., & Egan, J. M.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Venue
Pharmacological Reviews
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-12
Volume
60
Issue
4
Pages
470-512
ISSN
0031-6997 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2146466098
Cited by
824
References
565
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 54 · 2017: 63 · 2016: 49 · 2015: 53 · 2014: 61 · 2013: 53 · 2012: 52
FWCI
4.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Pharmacological Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Aging (Z01AG000905)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes Treatment and Management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Pancreatic function and diabetes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes Management and Research
Keywords
incretins, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide-1, dipeptidyl peptidase IV, type 2 diabetes, glucose homeostasis, insulin secretion, exenatide, sitagliptin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors, incretin mimetics, hypoglycemia
MeSH terms
Sitagliptin Phosphate, Exenatide, Animals, Diabetes Mellitus, Glucose, Homeostasis, Humans, Hypoglycemic Agents, Peptides, Pyrazines, Triazoles, Venoms, Incretins

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