Kainat Iqbal Panjwani
Malla Reddy Pharmacy College, India
Title: Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors – Potentially linked to cause cancer?
Biography
Biography: Kainat Iqbal Panjwani
Abstract
DPP4 Inhibitors belong to a class of hypoglycemic drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes. DPP-4 inhibitors work by blocking the action of DPP-4, an enzyme which destroys the hormone incretin. Incretins help the body produce more insulin only when it is needed and reduce the amount of glucose being produced by the liver when it is not needed. These hormones are released throughout the day and levels are increased at meal times. These drugs have been into the limelight recently due to their role in patients with Type 2 DM of controlling blood glucose levels, reducing appetite, and helping shed off those extra kilos! But what we aren’t sure about is this medications’ ability to cause cancer. Several researches have shown that gliptins have caused pancreatic cancer, thyroid, colon, melanoma, and prostate cancer too. These studies clearly indicate the need to explore the causes and importance of disturbances in serum DPP4 activity and the complex molecular mechanisms which underlie the development and progression of cancers. DPP4 inhibitors may suppress the body’s natural cancer suppressing mechanism! Further research needs to be done in order to fully elucidate the cause and the importance of observed changes in DPP-4 activity.