title: Mechanisms of current therapies for diabetes mellitus type 2.
abstract: The array of medications available for the treatment of hyperglycemia has increased rapidly in the previous decade, and recent investigations have clarified novel mechanisms underlying the antihyperglycemic efficacy of these drugs. This article reviews the mechanisms of action for medications currently approved to treat diabetes mellitus in the United States, with the exception of insulin and its analogs. Finally, it attempts to integrate these mechanisms into the schema of pathophysiological factors that combine to produce hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes mellitus.
authors.affiliation: Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, Georgia, USA. pthule@emory.edu
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Thulé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D054873:Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D052216:Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 / Q000819:agonists / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D058228:Islet Amyloid Polypeptide / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D054873:Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D058228:Islet Amyloid Polypeptide; D052216:Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; C105254:pramlintide