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Using albumin to improve the therapeutic properties of diabetes treatments
Author(s) -
Ahrén B.,
Burke B.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
diabetes, obesity and metabolism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.445
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1463-1326
pISSN - 1462-8902
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2011.01482.x
Subject(s) - incretin , tolerability , medicine , insulin , type 2 diabetes , drug , diabetes mellitus , albumin , pharmacology , adverse effect , dosing , glucagon like peptide 1 , bioinformatics , endocrinology , biology
Achieving tight glycaemic control remains an unmet need for many patients with type 2 diabetes, despite improved treatments. To meet glycaemic targets, attempts have been made to improve existing drugs and to develop new classes of drugs. Recent advances include insulin analogues that more closely mimic physiologic insulin levels, and incretin‐based therapies, which capitalize on the glucoregulatory properties of native glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1). Although promising, these agents are associated with limitations, including hypoglycaemia with insulin, gastrointestinal adverse events with GLP‐1 receptor agonists and frequent dosing with both classes. Albumin is an abundant natural drug carrier that has been used to improve the half‐life, tolerability and efficacy of a number of bioactive agents. Here, we review the physiologic roles of albumin and how albumin technologies are being used to prolong duration of action of therapies for diabetes, including insulin and incretin‐based therapies.