Research
Hormonal
DPP-4 inhibitors lower hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes by preventing the degradation of incretin hormones (GLP-1 and GIP), thereby potentiating glucose-dependent insulin secretion.
DPP-4 inhibitors are a common diabetes medication that works by protecting your body's natural hormones (GLP-1 and GIP) from being broken down. This helps your pancreas release more insulin when you eat, lowering blood sugar without causing hypoglycemia in most cases.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
Inhibition of DPP-4 is now a well-established therapeutic principle to lower hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. The glucose lowering properties of DPP-4 inhibitors are due to the mechanism that under normal physiological conditions, DPP-4 rapidly degrades glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).
Why this rating
Described as a 'well-established therapeutic principle' with clear mechanistic explanation.
Source
Clinical Relevance of Adipokines
Matthias Blüher · Diabetes & Metabolism Journal · 2012
DOI 10.4093/dmj.2012.36.5.317
narrative_reviewCited 199×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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