Recent Developments in Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors as a Valuable Tool in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

In today's world, metabolic disorders are much dominant, and among them, diabetes is causing the highest rate of mortality. There is no cure for diabetes, while treatment could be done either by insulin therapy or oral antidiabetic drug. Oral antidiabetic agents target pathogenic factors like receptors, enzymes, genes and proteins involved in diabetes progression. Among them, recently, sodium-glucose co-transporters (SGLTs) have been recognized for their potential to effectively treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus. SGLTs are classified as SGLT-1 and SGLT-2, and among them, SGLT-2 is a major transporter which is involved in glucose reabsorption. Therefore, targeting SGLTs by its inhibitors could be a better choice to control the blood glucose level. Canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, ipragliflozin, luseogliflozin, and tofogliflozin are known to be SGLT-2 inhibitors. Herein, we discussed the current and future aspects of the development and applications of SGLT-2 inhibitors.