title: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors as novel drugs for the treatment of diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some inhibitors of tyrosine kinase, as imatinib, erlotinib and sunitinib have antihyperglycemic effects but the mechanisms are not totally clear.
  
  
  METHODS
  It is well established that insulin resistance and beta-cell failure are hallmarks of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). The present review will discuss the molecular mechanisms that account for insulin resistance and beta-cell failure in DM2, and also the effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in these processes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A better understanding of how these drugs improve the two most important mechanisms of DM2 associated with suggestions of clinical studies will lead to improve the treatment of this disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Campinas - UNICAMP, School of Applied Sciences, Limeira, SP, 13484-350, Brazil. pprada@fcm.unicamp.br
authors.forename: Patricia O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Prada
authors.forename: Mario Ja
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Saad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases