GLP-1 receptor agonists
How GLP-1 works, and why molecules mimicking it became central to metabolic research.
GLP-1 is a gut hormone released from intestinal L-cells after eating. It amplifies glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppresses glucagon, slows gastric emptying, and acts on appetite-regulating centres in the brain. Native GLP-1 is degraded within minutes by the enzyme DPP-4, which makes the hormone itself useless as a therapy.
Receptor agonists are engineered around that problem — modified molecules resistant to DPP-4 degradation, with pharmacokinetics extended from minutes to days. The result reproduces GLP-1's effects for far longer than the hormone does naturally.
Research attention has broadened well beyond glucose. Sustained weight reduction, and the cardiovascular and renal outcomes reported in large trials, have made this one of the most active areas in metabolic medicine. The field has since moved toward combining receptor targets — see Dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists and Triple agonists: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. This article describes published science in general terms and is not advice about any medicine.
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