Secretion, Degradation, and Elimination of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 and Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide in Patients with Chronic Renal Insufficiency and Healthy Control Subjects

Abstract

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) are important factors in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and have a promising therapeutic potential. Alterations of their secretion, in vivo degradation, and elimination in patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) have not yet been characterized. Ten patients with CRI (aged 47 ± 15 years, BMI 24.5 ± 2.2 kg/m2, and serum creatinine 2.18 ± 0.86 mg/dl) and 10 matched healthy control subjects (aged 44 ± 12 years, BMI 24.9 ± 3.4 kg/m2, and serum creatinine 0.89 ± 0.10 mg/dl) were included. On separate occasions, an oral glucose tolerance test (75 g), an intravenous infusion of GLP-1 (0.5 pmol · kg−1 · min−1 over 30 min), and an intravenous infusion of GIP (1.0 pmol · kg−1 · min−1 over 30 min) were performed. Venous blood samples were drawn for the determination of glucose (glucose oxidase), insulin, C-peptide, GLP-1 (total and intact), and GIP (total and intact; specific immunoassays). Plasma levels of GIP (3–42) and GLP-1 (9–36 amide) were calculated. Statistics were performed using repeated-measures and one-way ANOVA. After the oral glucose load, plasma concentrations of intact GLP-1 and intact GIP reached similar levels in both groups (P = 0.31 and P = 0.87, respectively). The concentrations of GIP (3–42) and GLP-1 (9–36 amide) were significantly higher in the patients than in the control subjects (P = 0.0021 and P = 0.027, respectively). During and after the exogenous infusion, GLP-1 (9–36 amide) and GIP (3–42) reached higher plasma concentrations in the CRI patients than in the control subjects (P < 0.001 and P = 0.0033, respectively), whereas the plasma levels of intact GLP-1 and GIP were not different between the groups (P = 0.29 and P = 0.27, respectively). Plasma half-lives were 3.4 ± 0.6 and 2.3 ± 0.4 min for intact GLP-1 (P = 0.13) and 5.3 ± 0.8 and 3.3 ± 0.4 min for the GLP-1 metabolite (P = 0.029) for CRI patients vs. healthy control subjects, respectively. Plasma half-lives of intact GIP were 6.9 ± 1.4 and 5.0 ± 1.2 min (P = 0.31) and 38.1 ± 6.0 and 22.4 ± 3.0 min for the GIP metabolite (P = 0.032) for CRI patients vs. healthy control subjects, respectively. Insulin concentrations tended to be lower in the patients during all experiments, whereas C-peptide levels tended to be elevated. These data underline the importance of the kidneys for the final elimination of GIP and GLP-1. The initial dipeptidyl peptidase IV-mediated degradation of both hormones is almost unaffected by impairments in renal function. Delayed elimination of GLP-1 and GIP in renal insufficiency may influence the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dipeptidyl peptidase IV-resistant incretin derivatives to be used for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.