Incretin hormone has potential to become an antidiabetic therapy

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) have the properties of insulinotropic effect. Patients with type 2 diabetes are known as reduced and retarded insulin secretion. Therefore, these incretin effect are reduced in type 2 diabetes. In addition to their insulinotropic effect, they also have some effect on promotion of β cell growth and differentiation, decreasing β cell apoptosis and even decreasing food intake by acting on central nervous system. Due to its glucose dependent insulin secretion effect, the risk of hypoglycemia is low. Therefore, they are potential to develop as antidiabetic treatment. However, there are some difficulties to clinical application of these hormone to lowering blood glucose for type 2 diabetes because of their unfavorable pharmacologic properties. These incretin are rapidly inactivated by dipeptidyl peptidase IV. Recently, different approaches to retard enzyme cleavage by modifying the peptide structures and creating resistance against enzyme inactivation are evaluated.