Use of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An appraisal

Abstract

Tyrosine Kinase enzymes are known to play a significant role in tumor cell proliferation, stimulation of angiogenesis and metastasis and also show antiapoptotic effects. Therefore, Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been traditionally used to cure cancer. However, recently, there has been lot of interest in the possible use of TKIs for developing a new line of therapy for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Here, the authors have tried to summarize the seminal studies establishing the possible use of TKIs for T2DM. Authors conclude that there is lot of evidence suggesting the potential application of TKIs for treating T2DM, however, this hypothesis is still in its infancy stage. The animal models show promising results but there is an urgent need for detailed clinical investigations to establish this connection.