Technical / White Paper
Incretins & gastrointestinal hormones
The digestion and absorption of nutrients subsequent to food intake is associated with increased secretion of multiple gastrointestinal (GI) peptides. Testing for incretins, and other GI hormones, presents numerous challenges because of their instability. The degradation and modification of gut hormones caused by proteolytic enzymes occur in vivo and during and after blood collection. Proper sample collection and meticulous pre-analytical and analytical sample handling are crucial for successful quantification of those biomarkers, which is essential in the clinical studies leading to development of therapeutics for diabetes and obesity treatment.