Antidiabetic agents: Do they hit the right targets?

Abstract Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a progressive metabolic disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and caused by different degree of pancreatic islet dysfunction and/or insulin resistance (IR). Long course DM can lead to a variety of macrovascular and microvascular complications which involve artery vessels, heart, kidney, retina, nervous system, etc. In recent years, DM has attracted more and more attention due to its high morbidity and mortality. In addition to achieve effective glycemic control, prevention of complications has also been considered a priority for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview on the pharmacotherapeutics for T2DM and perspectives on the future directions of basic and translational research on anti-diabetic therapy and pharmatheutical development of new drugs.