Effect of proton pump inhibitors on glycemic control in patients with diabetes

Gastrin is a linear peptide hormone which is secreted mostly in the stomach pyloric antrum G cells. Although the main role of this hormone is the promotion of the secretion of gastric acid from the stomach parietal cells, gastrin can also behave as a growth factor and stimulate gastric cell proliferation. It is also reported that gastrin promotes beta cell neogenesis in the pancreatic ductal complex, modest pancreatic beta cell replication, and improvement of glucose tolerance in animal models, in which the remodeling of pancreatic tissues is promoted. These findings suggest the possibility that gastrin has the potential to promote an increase of beta cell mass in pancreas, and therefore that gastrin may improve glucose tolerance. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are wildly used clinically for the therapy of gastro-esophageal reflex disease, gastritis due to excess stomach acid, and gastric ulcers. PPIs indirectly elevate serum gastrin levels via a negative feedback effect. Recent evidence has revealed the beneficial effect of PPIs on glycemic control especially in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), probably via the elevation of the levels of serum gastrin, although the detailed mechanism remains unclear. In addition, the beneficial effects of a combination therapy of gastrin or a PPI with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist on glycemic control in animal models have been demonstrated. Although PPIs may be possible candidates for a new approach in the therapy of diabetes, a prospective, long-term, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study is needed to establish the effect of PPIs on glycemic control in a large number of patients with T2DM.