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Drug metabolism

Gut bacteria thwart the blood sugar-lowering effect of acarbose

In this issue of Nature Metabolism, a gut bacterial glucosidase that degrades the antidiabetic drug acarbose is linked to poor treatment response. Its widespread distribution in the human microbiome could compromise the efficacy of acarbose treatment in many patients.

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Fig. 1: Unraveling the mechanism of Apg-mediated reduction in the efficacy of acarbose treatment.

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Correspondence to Lisa Maier.

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Brauny, M.M., Maier, L. Gut bacteria thwart the blood sugar-lowering effect of acarbose. Nat Metab 5, 732–734 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00798-8

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