Not only incretins for diabetic kidney disease —beneficial effects by DPP-4 inhibitors

Incretin hormones, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, are secreted in response to high blood glucose levels and stimulate insulin release from pancreatic β cells. Under normal conditions, GLP-1 is rapidly degraded at the N-terminus by dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4). To overcome this rapid degradation, both pharmacologic inhibition of DPP-4 and DPP-4‒resistant GLP-1 analogs with extended half-life in the body were developed for the purpose of treat ing type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Source: Kidney International - Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Tags: Controversies in Nephrology Source Type: research