Metabolism: clinical and experimental
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Addition of metformin to exogenous glucagon-like peptide-1 results in increased serum glucagon-like peptide-1 concentrations and greater glucose lowering in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone that lowers blood glucose after meals in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The therapeutic potential of GLP-1 in diabetes is limited by rapid inactivation by the enzyme dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4). Metformin has been reported to inhibit DPP-4. ⋯ In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, metformin inhibits DPP-4 activity and thus increases active GLP-1 concentrations after subcutaneous injection. In combination with GLP-1, metformin significantly lowers plasma glucose concentrations in type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects compared with GLP-1 alone, whereas insulin responses were similar. Metformin enhances serum concentrations of injected active GLP-1(7-36)amide, and the combination results in added glucose-lowering potency.