Treatment of insulin resistance: straight from the gut.
Insulin resistance (IR) is a key pathological hallmark of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Emerging evidence has uncovered the gastrointestinal (GI) system as a previously overlooked player in fine-tuning systemic glucose homeostasis and insulin responses, which involved a complex inter-organ crosstalk through metabolic, endocrine, immune and neural mechanisms. These facts raise the intriguing possibility to explore the GI system as a new territory for IR intervention and glycemic control. Here we provide an overview of recent findings illustrating GI signals in the control of systemic insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis, and discuss the therapeutic prospects of exploiting the GI mechanisms to reverse IR and treat metabolic diseases.
Department of Pharmacy, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: xlzhang1225@126.com.
Xueli
X
Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: happyzxzx@126.com.
Xiao
X
Zheng
Department of Endocrinology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
Yang
Y
Yuan
D000818:Animals; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000378:metabolism*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007333:Insulin Resistance
D007328:Insulin; D005947:Glucose