An orally available hypoglycaemic peptide taken up by caveolae transcytosis displays improved hypoglycaemic effects and body weight control in db/db mice.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most severe chronic diseases and is an increasingly important public health problem worldwide. Several agonists of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor have been developed to treat Type 2 diabetes but most of them are administered by injection. This mode of administration seriously reduces patient compliance and increases the risk of infection. Here, we describe the actions of a novel, orally available, GLP-1 receptor agonist - oral hypoglycaemic peptide 2 (OHP2) - derived from exendin-4 by replacing amino acids. We have also investigated its pharmacokinetic profiles, therapeutic effects and absorption mechanism.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Healthy Wistar rats were used for pharmacokinetic analyses. In diabetic db/db mice. OHP2 was given for 8 weeks to evaluate its effects on hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, basal metabolism and tissue injury. Possible endocytosis and transcytosis mechanisms of OHP2 uptake were explored in Caco-2 cell monolayers.

KEY RESULTS

In rats, the absolute bioavailability of orally administered OHP2 was 20-fold greater than that of orally administered exendin-4. In db/db mice, OHP2 dose-dependently exhibits good potential in glucose-lowering and weight loss after oral administration. OHP2 also alleviated hyperlipidaemia, ameliorated energy metabolism and promoted tissue repair in diabetic mice. Furthermore, uptake of OHP2 by Caco-2 cells was dependent on caveolae-mediated transcytosis rather than endocytosis mediated by GLP-1 receptors.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

OHP2 is a potential, orally bioavailable, candidate drug for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Its transcytosis mechanism of uptake could help in the development of absorption enhancers of OHP2.