Experimental and Emerging Free Fatty Acid Receptor Agonists for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes
Angelo Maria Patti,
Rosaria Vincenza Giglio,
Nikolaos Papanas,
Dragos Serban,
Anca Pantea Stoian,
Kalliopi Pafili,
Khalid Al Rasadi,
Kanya Rajagopalan,
Ali A. Rizvi,
Marcello Ciaccio,
Manfredi Rizzo
Affiliations
Angelo Maria Patti
Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
Rosaria Vincenza Giglio
Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics, Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Clinical Molecular Medicine and Laboratory Medicine, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
Nikolaos Papanas
Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, 68132 Alexandroupolis, Greece
Dragos Serban
Forth Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila University, 050098 Bucharest, Romania
Anca Pantea Stoian
Department of Diabetes, Faculty of Medicine, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, Carol Davila University, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
Kalliopi Pafili
Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, 68132 Alexandroupolis, Greece
Khalid Al Rasadi
Medical Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman
Kanya Rajagopalan
Department of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL 32827, USA
Ali A. Rizvi
Department of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL 32827, USA
Marcello Ciaccio
Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics, Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Clinical Molecular Medicine and Laboratory Medicine, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
Manfredi Rizzo
Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
The current management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) includes incretin-based treatments able to enhance insulin secretion and peripheral insulin sensitivity as well as improve body mass, inflammation, plasma lipids, blood pressure, and cardiovascular outcomes. Dietary Free Fatty Acids (FFA) regulate metabolic and anti-inflammatory processes through their action on incretins. Selective synthetic ligands for FFA1-4 receptors have been developed as potential treatments for T2DM. To comprehensively review the available evidence for the potential role of FFA receptor agonists in the treatment of T2DM, we performed an electronic database search assessing the association between FFAs, T2DM, inflammation, and incretins. Evidence indicates that FFA1-4 agonism increases insulin sensitivity, induces body mass loss, reduces inflammation, and has beneficial metabolic effects. There is a strong inter-relationship between FFAs and incretins. FFA receptor agonism represents a potential target for the treatment of T2DM and may provide an avenue for the management of cardiometabolic risk in susceptible individuals. Further research promises to shed more light on this emerging topic.
