Pleiotropic effects of incretins and antidiabetics with incretine mechanism

Abstract

Discovery of physiological and pharmacological characteristics of incretins (glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotrop polypeptide), and the introduction of various products of those into the clinical practice has fundamentally changed blood glucose lowering therapy in type 2 diabetes. In addition to the antidiabetic properties more attention is paid to their favourable pleiotropic effects independent from the blood glucose lowering such as cardio-, vaso- and renoprotectiv, blood pressure lowering effects, as well as beneficial changes on blood lipid values and hepatic steatosis. These preferential changes prevail in slightly different way when incretin mimetics applied and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, furthermore, prolonged action of peptides metabolised by this enzyme may serve additional benefits in this latter mentioned group. The article overviews the currently known most important pleiotropic effects of incretins from the point of view of cardiorenal risk accompanying type 2 diabetes. Orv. Hetil., 2013, 154, 248–255.