Title:Free Fatty Acid Receptors (FFARs): Emerging Therapeutic Targets
for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus
Volume: 30
Issue: 30
Author(s): Dapinder Pal Singh Loona, Bhanuranjan Das, Ramandeep Kaur, Rajnish Kumar and Ashok Kumar Yadav*
Affiliation:
- University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Keywords:
Diabetes mellitus, free fatty acids, G-protein coupled receptors, FFAR1, FFAR2, FFAR3, FFAR4.
Abstract: Free fatty acids (FFAs) present in our dietary fats not only act as vital nutrients
but also function as signalling molecules and modulate key biological functions through
their active involvement in a multitude of energy metabolism pathways. However, it has
been reported that excessive intake of dietary fat contributes to the development of different
types of Diabetes mellitus. Free fatty acid receptors are the key regulators of most
metabolic disorders. Among them, diabetes mellitus is a severe growing disorder and
found in every corner of the world. For various metabolic disorders, particularly type 2 diabetes
mellitus, these different free fatty acid receptors are being explored as drug targets.
In the present review, various FFAs sensing G-protein coupled receptors (GPR) like
GPR40 (FFAR1), GPR43 (FFAR2), GPR41 (FFAR3), GPR120 (FFAR4), and GPR84 are
being explored as emerging novel therapeutic targets for antidiabetic drugs. Additionally,
this review has covered pre-clinical discovery and development of different selective ligands
targeted to these receptors starting from hit identification to lead optimization via
chemical modification and the challenges and tactics selected by different medicinal
chemists to improve potency, physicochemical properties, safety profiles, and pharmacokinetics
of different FFAR agonists for making a potential drug candidate. Several molecules
have been withdrawn in the clinical trials without reporting any reasons. We believe
that this review will help the researchers to find a new direction in the discovery of new
antidiabetic drugs.