Therapeutic applications of incretin mimetics for metabolic diseases: Preclinical studies

Exenatide (exendin-4) is an incretin mimetic peptide that shares several glucoregulatory actions with the endogenous incretin GLP-1. In addition to its actions on glucose control, exenatide produces effects to reduce food intake and body weight in all species studied. GLP-1 and exenatide have also been shown to modulate cardiovascular function in both animal and human studies. This overview examines the metabolic effects of exenatide beyond its antidiabetic actions, and will focus on studies with respect to obesity, hypertension, and cardiac dysfunction in preclinical models of diet-induced obesity, metabolic syndrome, and chronic heart failure.