Pharmacology: Diabetes Treatments Flashcards
Metformin
Lowers glucose production and increases glucose utilisation
First line therapy for T2DM
It is a biguanide
Metformin molecular mechanism
Weak cellular poison
- Inhibition of complex 1 of the mitochondrial respiratory train
- Fall in cellular ATP (rise in ADP/ ATP ratio)
- Many consequences
- Rise in AMP: ATP ratio
- Activation of AMPK
- Reduction in gluconeogenesi
Metformin Site of action
Hydrophilic- not readily taken up by cells.
Requires active transport by Organic Cation Transporters (OCT)
- Present in intestines, liver and kidney
Excreted unchanged in the urine (metformin is NOT metabolised)
Metformin physiological mechanisms (6)
Lowers hepatic glucose production
Increases gut glucose utilisation and metabolism
Increases intestinal GLP-1 secretion
Altered gut microbiome
Decrease lipogenesis
Reduced inflammation
Metformin clinical use
Potent glucose lowering (HbA1c ~18mmol/L)
Weight neutral or negative
Usual dose 500mg bd
Cheap
Metformin side effects
GI Intolerance
- Diarrhoea, bloating, abode pain, metallic taste, dyspepsia
- To reduce side effects initiate slowly or use modified release formulation
Metformin Associated Lactic Acidosis (MALA)
Metformin Associated Lactic Acidosis
Metformin increases lactate production (especially by gut and liver)
Lactate is normally cleared by liver and kidneys
In Acute Kidney Injury, metformin is associated with greater risk of lactic acidosis.
metformin dose should be decreased as renal function falls
- Max dose 1g daily if eGFR <45ml/min
- Contraindicated if eGFr <30ml/min
Sulphonylureas
Act directly on pancreatic beta-cells to increase insulin secretion
–> insulin secretagogues
Sulphonylurea Generation Examples
1st Generation (very limited use)
- Tolbutamide
- Chloropropamide
2nd Generation
- Gliclazide
- Glipizide
- Glimepiride
- Glibenclamide
Sulphonylurea Stimulated insulin secretion (4)
Glucose independent insulin secretion
- SUs bind to SUR1
- Closure of Katp
- Rise in membrane potential triggers voltage gated calcium channel
- Calcium influx leads to insulin exocytosis
Sulphonylurea Clinical use
Potent glucose lowering (HbA1c ~18mmol/L)
increase weight (1-2kg on average)
Risk of hypoglycaemia
Cheap
Sulphonylurea Hypoglycaemia risk
Risk of hypoglycaemia increased with:
- Increased age
- diabetes duration
- creatinine
- lower HbA1c (esp <50mmol/L)
Sulphonylurea Side Effects
Hypoglycaemia
Weight gain
Thiazolidinediones (TZDs)
PPAR(gamma) agonists
Net effect is to increase fat mass in subcutaneous depots and to ‘suck out’ fat from viscera (liver and pancreas) and muscle.
Also increased adiponectin and reduced inflammatory cytokines like TNF-alpha and IL-6
Work to increase fat mass and increase beneficial/ reduce harmful cytokines
TZDs molecular mechanism
PPAR(gamma) ligands
Ligand binding results in formation of a complex with a co-activator
increased transcriptional activation of PPAR(gamma) target genes
TZDs physiological mechanism (4)
Main effect is on adipocytes
- Increased differentiation from pre-adipoctyes to adipocytes
- Increase fat mass (subcutaneous)
- ‘lipid steal’- FFA uptake removes fat from liver and muscle which reduces lipotoxicity.
- Increases adiponectin which acts on insulin to increase insulin sensitivity.
net Result: increased insulin sensitivity