Acarbose is again on the stage

Table 1 The possible mechanisms of effects of acarbose on diabetic patients

Type of effect	Net effect	Mechanism
Glucose absorption	Decrease	Competitively inhibits α-glucosidases absorption in small intestine
Insulin sensitivity	Increase	Lowers the postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels
DPP-4 activity	Decrease	Increases postprandial glucose in small intestine
Circulating GLP-1 level	Increase	Stimulates GLP-1 secretion in small intestine
Intestinal content	Increase	Positively effects microbiota via increasing content of oligosaccharides in the digestive tract

GLP-1: Glucagon-like peptide-1; DPP-4: Dipeptidyl peptidase 4.