title: Incretin hormones and beta-cell mass expansion: what we know and what is missing?
abstract: Pancreatic beta-cell mass expands through beta-cell proliferation and neogenesis while it decreases mainly via apoptosis. The loss of balance between beta-cell death and regeneration leads to a reduction of beta-cell functional mass, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The pathogenetic mechanisms causing T2DM are complex, and also include a significant reduction of the incretin effect. A better understanding of the role of incretin hormones in glucose homeostasis has led to the development of incretin-based therapies. Recently, incretin hormones have been shown to stimulate the beta-cell growth and differentiation from pancreas-derived stem/progenitor cells, as well as to exert cytoprotective, antiapoptotic effects on beta-cells. However, the role and the molecular mechanisms by which GLP-1 and its agonists regulate beta-cell mass have not been fully investigated. This review focuses the current findings and the missing understanding of the effects of incretin hormones on beta-cell mass expansion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari School of Medicine , Bari , Italy and.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tortosa
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dotta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D016923:Cell Death; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D054795:Incretins / Q000378:metabolism*; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D054795:Incretins