Figure 4.

Mechanism of action of incretin and incretin-based agents in vascular cells and reduced expression of incretin receptor in arteries in a diabetic state. Binding of incretin to the incretin receptor in vascular cell membrane facilitates nitric oxide production, which leads to the enhancement of vasodilatory capacity and reduction of atherosclerosis. In a healthy state, the incretin receptor is abundantly expressed in the vascular cell membrane, but in a diabetic state, incretin receptor expression is substantially reduced.