History and development of incretin effect: the evidence and promise of incretin-based therapies in the clinical practice

The discovery and development of incretin effect has changed the landscape of diabetes treatment over past decades. Nowadays, incretin-based agents, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors have been wildly used in the therapy of type 2 diabetes. These agents show the beneficial effects on the multiple pathophysiological defects of type 2 diabetes, and provide a safe approach for achieving glycemic control with low risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain. Moreover, incretin-based therapies are still in development. Novel incretin-related therapies, such as fixed-dose combinations of GLP-1 receptor agonists and basal insulins, oral GLP-1 receptor agonists, and GLP-1 secretagogues, will be available in clinical practice in the near future. (Chin J Endocrinol Metab, 2018, 34: 629-633) Key words: Incretin; Glucagon-like peptide-1; Diabetes mellitus, type 2