DEFINITION
Insulinotropic is used to describe an agent that stimulates insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. For incretin hormones and GLP-1 receptor agonists the effect is glucose-dependent — insulin release is amplified only when blood glucose is elevated.
This glucose-dependence is central to the low intrinsic hypoglycaemia risk of GLP-1 receptor agonists as a pharmacological class in clinical studies.
WHY IT MATTERS
The insulinotropic effect is the primary β-cell pharmacology behind incretin therapies.
RELATED
Compounds