Very short-term effects of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor sitagliptin on the secretion of insulin, glucagon, and incretin hormones in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: analysis of meal tolerance test data

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Glucagon in this clinical trial publication.

To assess its antidiabetic potency, the researchers used meal tolerance tests (MTTs) to determine the very short-term effects of sitagliptin on plasma concentrations of insulin and glucagon.

Why It Was Studied

Sitagliptin inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase-4, which inactivates the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide.

Who Took Part

The study group was 1, patients.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

On day 1, patients with newly diagnosed or uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus started a calorie-restricted diet.

How the Study Was Run

On day 5, a second MTT was performed.

Area under the concentration-time curves (AUCs) of relevant laboratory values were calculated [AUC from time zero to 2 h (AUC0-2h) and from time zero to 4 h (AUC0-4h)].

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Blood Glucose, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors, Food, Glucagon, Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 and Incretins.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of Glucagon in 1, patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Results are reported in around 6 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2014 (Drugs in R&D), a journal based in New Zealand.

More context: the Glucagon compound page, all human trials.