SGLT1

Class

Sodium/glucose cotransporter-1 inhibitor

SGLT1 (sodium-glucose cotransporter 1) is a membrane transporter expressed mainly on the surface of intestinal epithelial cells, where it uses the energy of a sodium gradient to pull dietary glucose and galactose from the gut lumen into the bloodstream. A related transporter, SGLT2, performs a parallel role in the kidney, reclaiming filtered glucose. Inhibiting SGLT1 slows and blunts the absorption of ingested sugars, which lowers the sharp rise in blood glucose that normally follows a meal. This makes the mechanism relevant to type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders, where blunting post-meal glucose excursions can improve overall glycemic control. Because unabsorbed sugar remains in the intestinal lumen, SGLT1 inhibition also increases delivery of glucose to more distal segments of the gut, which can stimulate release of gut hormones involved in appetite and insulin secretion. Some agents in this class target SGLT1 alone, while others combine SGLT1 and SGLT2 inhibition to affect both intestinal absorption and renal handling of glucose, broadening the metabolic effect beyond what either transporter's inhibition achieves individually.