Research progress of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors for treatment of type 2 diabetes

Sodium-glucose co-transporters are a family of glucose transporter found in the intestinal mucosa of the small intestine (SGLT-2) and the proximal tubule of the nephron (SGLT-1 and SGLT-2).  They contribute to renal glucose reabsorption and most of renal glucose (about 90%) is reabsorbed by SGLT-2 located in the proximal renal tubule.  Selectively inhibiting activity of SGLT-2 is an innovative therapeutic strategy for treatment of type 2 diabetes by enhancing urinary glucose excretion from the body.  Therefore SGLT-2 inhibitors are considered to be potential antidiabetic drugs with an unique mechanism.  This review will highlight some recent advances and structure-activity relationships in the discovery and development of SGLT-2 inhibitors including O-glycoside, C-glycoside, C, O-spiro glycoside and non glycosides.