The Role of DPP-4 Inhibitors in the Treatment Algorithm of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: When to Select, What to Expect

Konstantinos Makrilakis
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Konstantinos Makrilakis: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Laiko General Hospital, 17 Ag. Thoma St., 11527 Athens, Greece

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a growing global public health problem, the prevalence of which is projected to increase in the succeeding decades. It is potentially associated with many complications, affecting multiple organs and causing a huge burden to the society. Due to its multi-factorial pathophysiology, its treatment is varied and based upon a multitude of pharmacologic agents aiming to tackle the many aspects of the disease pathophysiology (increasing insulin availability [either through direct insulin administration or through agents that promote insulin secretion], improving sensitivity to insulin, delaying the delivery and absorption of carbohydrates from the gastrointestinal tract, or increasing urinary glucose excretion). DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors (or “gliptins”) represent a class of oral anti-hyperglycemic agents that inhibit the enzyme DPP-4, thus augmenting the biological activity of the “incretin” hormones (glucagon-like peptide-1 [GLP-1] and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide [GIP]) and restoring many of the pathophysiological problems of diabetes. They have already been used over more than a decade in the treatment of the disease. The current manuscript will review the mechanism of action, therapeutic utility, and the role of DPP-4 inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus type 2; treatment; DPP-4 inhibitors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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