AUTHOR=Heppner Kristy M. , Perez-Tilve Diego 

TITLE=GLP-1 based therapeutics: simultaneously combating T2DM and obesity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2015

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2015.00092

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2015.00092

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=<p>Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) enhances meal-related insulin secretion, which lowers blood glucose excursions. In addition to its incretin action, GLP-1 acts on the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) in the brain to suppress feeding. These combined actions of GLP-1R signaling cause improvements in glycemic control as well as weight loss in type II diabetes (T2DM) patients treated with GLP-1R agonists. This is a superior advantage of GLP-1R pharmaceuticals as many other drugs used to treat T2DM are weight neutral or actual cause weight gain. This review summarizes GLP-1R action on energy and glucose metabolism, the effectiveness of current GLP-1R agonists on weight loss in T2DM patients, as well as GLP-1R combination therapies.</p>