Anna Secher, Jacob Jelsing, Arian F Baquero, Jacob Hecksher-Sørensen, Michael A Cowley, Louise S Dalbøge, Gitte Hansen, Kevin L Grove, Charles Pyke, Kirsten Raun, Lauge Schäffer, Mads Tang-Christensen, Saurabh Verma, Brent M Witgen, Niels Vrang, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen
Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog marketed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Besides lowering blood glucose, liraglutide also reduces body weight. It is not fully understood how liraglutide induces weight loss or to what degree liraglutide acts directly in the brain. Here, we determined that liraglutide does not activate GLP-1-producing neurons in the hindbrain, and liraglutide-dependent body weight reduction in rats was independent of GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1Rs) in the vagus nerve, area postrema, and paraventricular nucleus...
October 2014: Journal of Clinical Investigation