RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Protection and Reversal of Excitotoxic Neuronal Damage by Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 and Exendin-4 JF Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO J Pharmacol Exp Ther FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 881 OP 888 DO 10.1124/jpet.102.037481 VO 302 IS 3 A1 TracyAnn Perry A1 Norman J. Haughey A1 Mark P. Mattson A1 Josephine M. Egan A1 Nigel H. Greig YR 2002 UL http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/302/3/881.abstract AB Glucagon-like peptide-1 (7–36)-amide (GLP-1) is an endogenous insulinotropic peptide that is secreted from the L cells of the gastrointestinal tract in response to food. It has potent effects on glucose-dependent insulin secretion, insulin gene expression, and pancreatic islet cell formation. In type 2 diabetes, GLP-1, by continuous infusion, can normalize blood glucose and is presently being tested in clinical trials as a therapy for this disease. More recently, GLP-1 has been found to have central nervous system (CNS) effects and to stimulate neurite outgrowth in cultured cells. We now report that GLP-1, and its longer-acting analog exendin-4, can completely protect cultured rat hippocampal neurons against glutamate-induced apoptosis. Extrapolating these effects to a well defined rodent model of neurodegeneration, GLP-1 and exendin-4 greatly reduced ibotenic acid-induced depletion of choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity in basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. These findings identify a novel neuroprotective/neurotrophic function of GLP-1 and suggest that such peptides may have potential for halting or reversing neurodegenerative processes in CNS disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, and in neuropathies associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics