Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.8
3.9
Journals
Biomedicines
Special Issues
Diabetes Mellitus: Pharmacological Innovations and Related Therapeutic Benefits
share announcement

Diabetes Mellitus: Pharmacological Innovations and Related Therapeutic Benefits

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1651

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Cristina-Mihaela Lăcătuşu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unit of Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iași, Romania
Interests: type 2 diabetes; obesity; insulin resistance; metabolic syndrome; cardiovascular risk in metabolic diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Modern medical care for people with diabetes mellitus has some distinctive features. First, despite all preventive measures, we have witnessed an accelerated increase in the prevalence of diabetes worldwide; the most recent global estimates suggest that approximately 537 million people have diabetes and that there were 6.7 million diabetes-related deaths in 2021, with this number projected to increase to 783 million in adults by 2045 and 1.31 billion all-age people by 2050. Secondly, there have been extraordinary advancements in diabetes-targeting therapies in recent years, with multiple new therapeutic classes and novel technologies being developed to modify the clinical outcomes of people with diabetes. These innovations have fundamentally changed clinical guidelines, and the pace of development is so swift that medical thinking today has almost completely changed compared to only fifteen or twenty years ago. The fundamentals of diabetes care currently extend well beyond glucose control to weight control, encompass a multifactorial approach to cardiovascular risk, and promote the use of antihyperglycemic medications that also offer cardiorenal benefits. Together with the ever-present need to empower patients to successfully self-manage their disease, all these approaches will hopefully change the quality of life and disease duration for millions of people worldwide. Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on these significant advancements, starting from the first phases of pharmacological research on diabetes and extending to the various benefits we see developing regarding the clinical outcomes of people with diabetes.

Dr. Cristina-Mihaela Lăcătuşu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • therapy of diabetes mellitus
  • pharmacological innovations
  • incretins
  • GLP-1 receptor agonists
  • SGLT-2 inhibitors
  • weight control
  • diabetes-related cardiovascular risk
  • non-glycemic benefits of diabetes drugs
  • diabetes-related technologies
  • diabetes outcomes

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 297 KB  
Article
Translating Guidelines into Practice: A Prospective Real-World Study of a Romanian Cohort Treated with GLP-1 RAs
by Mihaela Simona Popoviciu, Delia Reurean-Pintilei, Teodor Salmen, Marius Rus, Anca Ferician, Cristian Sava, Adriana Ioana Ardelean, Lavinia-Alexandra Moroianu and Anca Pantea Stoian
Biomedicines 2025, 13(9), 2174; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13092174 - 5 Sep 2025
Viewed by 614
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a continuously increasing prevalence and often co-exist, exacerbating cardiometabolic risk. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are recommended as first-line therapy for patients with T2DM and excess weight, particularly when cardiovascular risk is present. [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a continuously increasing prevalence and often co-exist, exacerbating cardiometabolic risk. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are recommended as first-line therapy for patients with T2DM and excess weight, particularly when cardiovascular risk is present. This study assessed the real-world effectiveness of available GLP-1 RAs in Romania on glycemic control, body weight reduction (BWR), and waist circumference (WC) in T2DM patients with excess weight. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 311 adults with T2DM (glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) > 7.2%, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2). Patients received exenatide, semaglutide (either oral or injectable), or dulaglutide and were monitored for a period of 6 months. Parameters assessed included HbA1c, body weight, BMI, and WC. Results: All treatments significantly improved the patients’ HbA1c, BMI, and WC (p < 0.05). Dulaglutide had the most significant impact on HbA1c (−6.69 ± 0.91%), while injectable semaglutide led to the most notable BWR (−4.60 ± 2.74 kg) and WC reduction, especially among male patients. No significant differences in treatment effect were observed concerning the patient’s age, gender, or T2DM duration. Conclusions: In real-world clinical practice, GLP-1 RAs provide significant metabolic benefits and should be considered as part of individualized treatment strategies for T2DM patients who are overweight or obese. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diabetes Mellitus: Pharmacological Innovations and Related Therapeutic Benefits)
16 pages, 5798 KB  
Article
Ramulus Mori (Sangzhi) Alkaloids Improve Pancreatic β-Cell Function Through Gut Microbial and Intra-Islet 2-Methoxyestradiol Biosynthesis
by Nan Wu, Lusi Lu, Yiming Liu, Sunyue He, Chunyi Xu, Ying Wu, Yuchen Zhao, Xihua Lin, Wenjing Zhang and Jiaqiang Zhou
Biomedicines 2025, 13(8), 2013; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13082013 - 19 Aug 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 661
Abstract
Background: Ramulus Mori (Sangzhi) Alkaloids (SZ-A) are natural hypoglycemic compounds known to enhance insulin secretion. Given the emerging role of the gut microbiota in regulating β-cell function, in this study, we aimed to investigate whether SZ-A exert their beneficial effects through modulating [...] Read more.
Background: Ramulus Mori (Sangzhi) Alkaloids (SZ-A) are natural hypoglycemic compounds known to enhance insulin secretion. Given the emerging role of the gut microbiota in regulating β-cell function, in this study, we aimed to investigate whether SZ-A exert their beneficial effects through modulating the gut microbiota and its metabolites. Methods: A diabetic mouse model was established using a high-fat diet and streptozotocin, followed by 20 weeks of SZ-A treatment. Gut microbiota and metabolites were profiled via 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, respectively. Spearman’s correlation analysis was used to explore associations between gut microbiota and metabolites. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was used to assess gene expression and signaling pathway changes in β cells. Results: Our results demonstrate that SZ-A alleviated hyperglycemia and increased islet numbers in T2DM mice. SZ-A treatment also reshaped the gut microbiota, notably enriching quantities of Lactobacillus and norank_f__Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group, which may contribute to increasing levels of 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME), a bioactive metabolite. Moreover, scRNA-seq revealed an increased proportion of COMT+ cells in the islets, suggesting that 2-ME may also be synthesized within the islets. In vitro, 2-ME suppressed HIF-1α signaling and promoted insulin secretion, indicating that 2-ME may act as a crucial mediator of the beneficial effects of SZ-A. Conclusions: SZ-A improve β-cell function by increasing 2-ME levels via gut microbiota modulation and islet production, ultimately suppressing HIF-1α signaling and restoring β-cell homeostasis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diabetes Mellitus: Pharmacological Innovations and Related Therapeutic Benefits)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop