Endocrine Abstracts

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disease characterised by hyperglycaemia due to peripheral insulin resistance and/or insulin deficiency. This may be due to a decline in viable pancreatic β-cells number or β-cell dysfunction leading to impaired nutrient-induced insulin secretion. The most probable causes of these β-cell effects are exposure to elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, glucose and free fatty acids. There are many synthetic and herbal drugs availabl...

The incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) constitute the enteroinsular axis which promotes postprandial insulin secretion. The therapeutic potential of these hormones in diabetes is limited by their rapid inactivation by the enzyme dipeptidylpeptidase-IV (DPP-IV). Here we investigated the acute effects of metformin in the presence and absence of food on DPP-IV activity in type 2 diabetes....