The Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Analogues therapy in the non-diabetic patients

Abstract

Glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are a group of hypoglycemic drugs that are used primarily to treat type 2 diabetes both as monotherapy and in combination with other antidiabetic drugs. In contrast to most hypoglycemic drugs, GLP-1 receptor agonists not only do not cause weight gain, but can even lead to weight reduction. This is why they are recently also increasingly used in the treatment of obesity in patients without type 2 diabetes. Current research indicate that liraglutide and semaglutide are effective and safe methods of treatment for overweight and obesity in patients without diabetes. GLP-1 receptor agonists’ mechanism of action is related to the incretin system. They lowers glucose concentrations by increasing insulin secretion and suppressing glucagon release. Moreover, they cause a retardation of gastric emptying and affect the central nervous system, resulting in a decrease in appetite and stimulation of satiety. In addition, a rising number of research studies show that GLP-1 receptor agonists may also have beneficial effects in the treatment of other conditions, such as nervous and cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases or endocrine disorders. Due to the new findings, even more research should be carried out to further investigate and describe the multidirectional effects of these drugs.