David Taylor
Summer Research Description: Two-thirds of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) also have hypertension. Commonly, patients are treated with ACE inhibitor therapy, and one class of oral diabetes medications used frequently is a DPP4 inhibitor. DPP4 is an enzyme that inactivates neuropeptides and incretin hormones such as Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1), which stimulates insulin secretion. Combining a DPP4 inhibitor with an ACE inhibitor may lead to decreased degradation of hormones that promote release of norepinephrine (NE), vasoconstriction, and lipolysis.