Lizard spit for Diabetes

#KYJ- Incretin -GLP-1
The Gila Monster is a lizard that packs a nasty bite.  It is a rare find in the animal world, this lizard is one of very very few lizards who are venomous.  It's saliva harbours a potent neurotoxin similar to that of Coral sea snakes, but unlike snakes, it's venom glands are in the bottom jaw so it must chew its prey to envenomate.   Of intense interest to the medical community, this saliva also contains a protein from which the Diabetic drug Exenatide is made.

Marketed under the trade name Byetta, exenatide is classified as a GLP1 mimic.
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Feel informed yet?   No me either.  Read on.

We used to believe that you ate food, your blood sugar rose, this stimulated insulin to be released, and the blood sugar dropped.  Our concept was that the stimulus for insulin release was sugar..... nope.  This simplified cause and effect is not quite correct.
An important stimulant is the act of eating, chewing, smelling or even thinking about yummy food.
Yep.... just thinking about dinner tonight causes insulin secretion.
So this mechanism is fuelled by a protein hormone called glucagon like protein 1 (GLP1, or Incretin).

Incretin is released when eatingsmelling ir thinking about food.  As incretin is secreted this has two major effects, it instructs pancreas beta cells to make insulin, and inhibits alpha cells from making glucagon.
It also prepares cells to be sensitive to insulin.

A newer approach to T2DM management is administering drugs that inhibit Incretin degradation (Gliptins) or mimic the effects of natural Incretin -   This is where Byetta (Exenatide-manufactured from lizard spit) comes into play.  Exenatide is a GLP1 mimic.

Like insulin, Byetta is a subcutaneous injection given daily to weekly.  It's not new (2005) just not as popular as the gliptin drugs, but interesting none the less. #ToxSeries #ECT4Health
...  bite size chunks of pharmacology education.
Www.ect4health.com.au/whatsWww.ect4health.com.au/whats