Incretin
Definition
A gut hormone released after eating that raises insulin secretion in a glucose-dependent way, meaning it acts when glucose is high and not when it is low. GLP-1 and GIP are the two in humans.
Terms used in this definition
Other entries this definition refers to.
Where this term comes up
Entries whose definition mentions Incretin.
What this means for research sourcing
Mechanistic terms like this describe how research compounds behave in vitro. See the mechanism overviews for compounds Volta stocks.
Related Terms in Pharmacology
Glucagon
The pancreatic alpha-cell hormone that raises blood glucose through glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, and that also increases energy expenditure. Adding glucagon-receptor activity to an incretin agonist is what dual agonists such as survodutide do.
Insulin
The pancreatic beta-cell hormone that moves glucose out of the blood into muscle, liver and fat. It is a 51-residue two-chain peptide held together by disulfide bridges, and it was the first peptide hormone made recombinantly.
Amylin
A hormone co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic beta cells, which slows gastric emptying, suppresses glucagon and promotes satiety. Pramlintide is a synthetic analogue; cagrilintide is a long-acting acylated one.
Ghrelin
A stomach-derived hormone that drives appetite and, by way of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, triggers growth hormone release. The GHRP family and several non-peptide agonists of the same receptor are studied as mimics of it.
Growth Hormone (GH)
The pituitary hormone released in pulses that influences growth, body composition and metabolism. Most of its longer-term effects are mediated indirectly, through IGF-1 produced in the liver in response to it.
Growth Hormone Secretagogue (GHS)
Any compound that makes the pituitary release its own growth hormone rather than supplying growth hormone itself. Ipamorelin, the GHRPs and non-peptide GHS-R1a agonists all fall in the class, and so do the GHRH analogues by a different receptor.
Secretagogue
A compound that causes something else to be secreted. In peptide work the something else is almost always growth hormone, which is why the word usually appears as part of growth hormone secretagogue.
GHRP (Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide)
A family of synthetic peptides that release growth hormone by activating the ghrelin receptor. GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin and ipamorelin belong to it, and they differ in how much hunger, cortisol and prolactin signalling they bring with them.
