Effects of glepaglutide, a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-2 analog, on intestinal morphology and perfusion in patients with short bowel syndrome: Findings from a randomized phase 2 trial.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Glucagon.

The proadaptive effects of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) include stimulation of intestinal mucosal growth as well as intestinal blood flow and angiogenesis.

As secondary and exploratory end points, the effects of glepaglutide on intestinal morphology and perfusion are reported.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 18 patients were involved.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized and crossover study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Glucagon and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

In the crossover set-up each of the patients took both Glucagon and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

Intestinal perfusion was assessed in stoma nipples by laser speckle contrast imaging and quantitative fluorescence angiography with indocyanine green.

What Was Measured

The proadaptive effects of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) include stimulation of intestinal mucosal growth as well as intestinal blood flow and angiogenesis.

As secondary and exploratory end points, the effects of glepaglutide on intestinal morphology and perfusion are reported.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Short Bowel Syndrome, Citrulline, Intestines, Glucagon-Like Peptide 2 and Perfusion.

The authors tagged it with the keywords glucagon-like peptide-2, intestinal failure, intestinal morphology, intestinal perfusion, plasma citrulline and research and diseases.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and crossover study of Glucagon in 18 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.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 5 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2023 (JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition), a journal based in United States.

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