glucagon-like-peptide-1-(7-36) and glucagon-like-peptide-1-(7-36)amide

The search for intestinal factors regulating the endocrine secretion of the pancreas started soon after the discovery of secretin, i.e. nearly 100 years ago. Insulinotropic factors of the gut released by nutrients and stimulating insulin secretion in physiological concentrations in the presence of elevated blood glucose levels have been named incretins. Of the known gut hormones only gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like polypeptide-1 (GLP-1 [7-36] amide) fulfill this definition.--The incretin effect (i.e. the ratio between the integrated insulin response to an oral glucose load and an isoglycaemic intravenous glucose infusion) is markedly diminished in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, while the plasma levels of GIP and GLP-1 and their responses to nutrients are in the normal range. Therefore, a reduced responsiveness of the islet B-cells to incretins has been postulated. This insensitivity of the diabetic B-cells towards incretins can be overcome by supraphysiological (pharmacological) concentrations of GLP-1 [7-36], however not of GIP. Accordingly, fasting and postprandial glucose levels can be normalized in patients with type 2 diabetes by infusions of GLP-1 [7-36]. Further studies revealed that this is partially due to the fact that GLP-1 [7-36]--in addition to its insulinotropic effect--also inhibits glucagon secretion and delays gastric emptying. These three antidiabetic effects qualify GLP-1 [7-36] as an interesting therapeutic tool, mainly for type 2 diabetes. However, because of its short plasma half life time natural GLP-1 [7-36] is not suitable for subcutaneous application. At present methods are being developed to improve the pharmacokinetics of GLP-1 by inhibition of the cleaving enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) or by synthesis of DPP-IV resistant GLP-1 analogues. Also naturally occurring GLP-1 analogues (for instance exendin-4) with a much longer half life time than GLP-1 [7-36] are being tested.--Thus, after 100 years of speculations and experimentations, incretins and their analogues are emerging as new antidiabetic drugs.

Topics: Animals; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide; Glucagon; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Glucagon-Like Peptides; Humans; Intestines; Islets of Langerhans; Peptide Fragments; Protein Precursors

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-I-(7-36) are probably the most important "incretins," but there is controversy as to their relative insulinotropic activities. The effects of natural (np) and synthetic porcine (sp) GIP, synthetic human (sh) GIP, and GLP-I-(7-36) on insulin secretion from the perfused rat pancreas were compared using gradient perfusion. Insulin secretion was increased by both spGIP and GLP-I-(7-36) at concentrations of approximately 16 pM. Maximal responses to GLP-I-(7-36) in the presence of 16.7 mM glucose were slightly greater than with npGIP or spGIP, but with 10 mM glucose spGIP and GLP-I-(7-36) exerted equivalent effects. Responses to shGIP were greatly reduced compared with spGIP. In the presence of 50 pM spGIP or GLP-I-(7-36) the glucose threshold was 4.5 +/- 0.11 mM. The data indicate that GLP-I-(7-36) and porcine GIP are equally insulinotropic and share the same glucose threshold for activity, whereas shGIP is less active. At the concentrations found postprandially, however, GIP is likely to be the more important incretin.

Topics: Animals; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide; Glucagon; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Glucagon-Like Peptides; Glucose; In Vitro Techniques; Insulin; Insulin Secretion; Male; Pancreas; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Swine

The biological effects and the metabolism of the intestinal hormone glucagonlike peptide-1 7-36 amide and glucagonlike peptide-1 7-37 were studied in normal healthy subjects. GLP-1 7-36 amide and GLP-1 7-37 equipotently stimulated insulin secretion (integrated hormone response 0-60 min, 631 +/- 211 vs. 483 +/- 177 pmol/h x L-1) and C-peptide secretion (integrated hormone response 9064 +/- 1804 vs. 9954 +/- 2031 pmol/h x L-1) and equipotently lowered plasma glucose (integrated decrease 48.3 +/- 5.7 vs. 46.2 +/- 8.4 mmol/h x L-1) and plasma glucagon (integrated decrease 80.4 +/- 24.3 vs. 156.0 +/- 34.6 pmol/h x L-1). Both GLP-1 7-36 amide and GLP-1 7-37 lowered the plasma concentration of free fatty acids significantly. The plasma half-lives of GLP-1 7-36 amide and GLP-1 7-37 were 5.3 +/- 0.4 vs. 6.1 +/- 0.8 min, and the metabolic clearance rates of the two peptides also were similar (14.6 +/- 2.4 vs. 12.2 +/- 1.0 pmol/kg x min). In conclusion, COOH-terminal amidation is neither important for the metabolism of GLP-1 nor for its effects on the endocrine pancreas.

Topics: Adult; Blood Glucose; C-Peptide; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; Female; Glucagon; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Glucagon-Like Peptides; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Secretion; Male; Peptide Fragments; Structure-Activity Relationship; Time Factors