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Pharmacology · Receptor biology

Biased agonism: a real phenomenon, an over-used explanation

HA
h.almeidaTL2Member22 Feb 2025#1

Posting this under the heading it deserves: Biased agonism: a real phenomenon, an over-used explanation Everything below is what sits behind that.

A documentation question rather than an analytical one.

I have a certificate in front of me that reports a purity figure, names a technique, gives a wavelength, and stops. No gradient, no column, no injection volume, no chromatogram.

What can I legitimately conclude from that document? My instinct is "almost nothing, but not literally nothing", and I would like to know where the people who read these professionally draw the line.

61 likes 17mo
SL
s.lindqvistTL2 Moderator23 Feb 2025#2

Bias and desensitisation: receptors can be biased (preferentially activating some downstream pathways over others) and can desensitise over time (responding less to the same stimulus with repeated exposure). Both might affect long-term response to these compounds.

0 likes 17mo
FR
figure_reviewTL2Member23 Feb 2025#3
h.almeida, post #1: Posting this under the heading it deserves: Biased agonism: a real phenomenon, an over-used explanation Everything below is what sits behind that. A documentation question rather than an analytical one. I have a certificate in front of me that reports a purity figure, names a technique, gives a wavelength, and stops. No gradient, no… Go to post

For anyone arriving from a search: the marked solution above is the direct answer, and the replies underneath it add the caveats that make it safe to use.

7 likes in reply to #1 17mo
GT
g.tammTL2 Moderator24 Feb 2025#4
s.lindqvist, post #2: Bias and desensitisation: receptors can be biased (preferentially activating some downstream pathways over others) and can desensitise over time (responding less to the same stimulus with repeated exposure). Both might affect long-term response to these compounds. Go to post

Glucagon receptor agonism: glucagon receptor agonism increases energy expenditure and promotes hepatic fat oxidation. The mechanism is distinct from GLP-1 and GIP agonism and the clinical consequences are still being characterised.

17 likes in reply to #2 17mo
SL
sleep_logTL2Regular24 Feb 2025#5

Pharmacological class effects: all GLP-1 agonists slow gastric emptying and suppress appetite. Those are class effects, not unique to one compound. Effects that differ between compounds are usually about potency or receptor selectivity.

0 likes 17mo
II
i.ilungaTL2 Moderator24 Feb 2025#6

Species differences: rodent studies show the same compounds produce effects in rodents that predict human effects reasonably well for semaglutide and tirzepatide. The track record is less clear for novel compounds with less human data.

1 like 17mo
FV
first_vialTL1Member25 Feb 2025#7

Central versus peripheral action: GLP-1 agonism works through both central nervous system effects (appetite) and peripheral effects (gastric motility, insulin). The balance is not fully characterised.

11 likes 17mo
SR
sa.rasmussenTL2 Moderator25 Feb 2025#8
g.tamm, post #4: Glucagon receptor agonism: glucagon receptor agonism increases energy expenditure and promotes hepatic fat oxidation. The mechanism is distinct from GLP-1 and GIP agonism and the clinical consequences are still being characterised. Go to post

Coming back to post #6, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Having read the exchange above, I think I was wrong earlier in this topic and I want to say so plainly rather than quietly editing.

The correction was fair and I had been repeating something I had not checked carefully enough.

24 likes in reply to #4 17mo
FN
formulary_notesTL3Regular25 Feb 2025#9

Cross-reactivity and selectivity: the compounds are not perfectly selective for their target receptors. Semaglutide has some activity on other receptors; tirzepatide activates both GLP-1 and GIP with different affinities. The off-target effects are part of the overall pharmacology.

0 likes 17mo
AI
an.ibarraTL2 Moderator25 Feb 2025 · edited#10

Long-term receptor changes: very little is known about what happens to receptor expression, signalling, and downstream effects over years of exposure to these compounds. That is exactly the knowledge gap phase 3 trials exist to fill.

3 likes 17mo
PI
p.iyer_pharmdTL3Pharmacist26 Feb 2025#11
i.ilunga, post #6: Species differences: rodent studies show the same compounds produce effects in rodents that predict human effects reasonably well for semaglutide and tirzepatide. The track record is less clear for novel compounds with less human data. Go to post

GLP-1 receptor signalling: the GLP-1 receptor is expressed on beta cells (insulin secretion), on neurons (appetite and gastric motility), and on myocardium (contractility). Different tissues respond to the same signal in different ways.

31 likes in reply to #6 17mo
JA
j.asanteTL2 Moderator26 Feb 2025#12

GIP receptor signalling: the glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide receptor (GIP) is involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. GIP agonism is thought to contribute to tirzepatide's effect but the mechanism is not fully settled.

15 likes 17mo
HS
hana.satoTL4 Moderator26 Feb 2025#13
Staff post. Actions described here are recorded in the public moderation log and may be challenged in Meta.

Worth separating two things that post #9 runs together.

Bias and desensitisation: receptors can be biased (preferentially activating some downstream pathways over others) and can desensitise over time (responding less to the same stimulus with repeated exposure). Both might affect long-term response to these compounds.

6 likes 17mo
AA
a.aguirreTL2 Moderator26 Feb 2025#14

Amylin receptor signalling: amylin promotes satiety and slows gastric emptying through a receptor distinct from GLP-1. The hypothesis behind combination therapy is two complementary satiety mechanisms.

1 like 17mo
VF
v.fontaineTL2 Moderator27 Feb 2025#15
an.ibarra, post #10: Long-term receptor changes: very little is known about what happens to receptor expression, signalling, and downstream effects over years of exposure to these compounds. That is exactly the knowledge gap phase 3 trials exist to fill. Go to post

GLP-1 receptor signalling: the GLP-1 receptor is expressed on beta cells (insulin secretion), on neurons (appetite and gastric motility), and on myocardium (contractility). Different tissues respond to the same signal in different ways.

0 likes in reply to #10 17mo
ZY
z.yildizTL2 Moderator27 Feb 2025 · edited#16

Picking up post #13: that is the part I would want checked first.

Long-term receptor changes: very little is known about what happens to receptor expression, signalling, and downstream effects over years of exposure to these compounds. That is exactly the knowledge gap phase 3 trials exist to fill.

22 likes 17mo
CA
c.adebayoTL2 Moderator27 Feb 2025#17

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

10 likes 17mo
HK
h.karlsenTL2 Moderator27 Feb 2025#18
h.almeida, post #1: Posting this under the heading it deserves: Biased agonism: a real phenomenon, an over-used explanation Everything below is what sits behind that. A documentation question rather than an analytical one. I have a certificate in front of me that reports a purity figure, names a technique, gives a wavelength, and stops. No gradient, no… Go to post

Pharmacological class effects: all GLP-1 agonists slow gastric emptying and suppress appetite. Those are class effects, not unique to one compound. Effects that differ between compounds are usually about potency or receptor selectivity.

3 likes in reply to #1 17mo
UC
unit_conversionTL3Regular28 Feb 2025#19

I read post #17 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

0 likes 17mo
RV
r.vukovicTL2 Moderator28 Feb 2025#20

Central versus peripheral action: GLP-1 agonism works through both central nervous system effects (appetite) and peripheral effects (gastric motility, insulin). The balance is not fully characterised.

30 likes 17mo
CW
c.wijnbergTL2Member28 Feb 2025#21
z.yildiz, post #16: Picking up post #13: that is the part I would want checked first. Long-term receptor changes: very little is known about what happens to receptor expression, signalling, and downstream effects over years of exposure to these compounds. That is exactly the knowledge gap phase 3 trials exist to fill. Go to post

Species differences: rodent studies show the same compounds produce effects in rodents that predict human effects reasonably well for semaglutide and tirzepatide. The track record is less clear for novel compounds with less human data.

0 likes in reply to #16 17mo
PF
p.fontaineTL2 Moderator28 Feb 2025#22
h.almeida, post #1: Posting this under the heading it deserves: Biased agonism: a real phenomenon, an over-used explanation Everything below is what sits behind that. A documentation question rather than an analytical one. I have a certificate in front of me that reports a purity figure, names a technique, gives a wavelength, and stops. No gradient, no… Go to post

I read post #20 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

GIP receptor signalling: the glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide receptor (GIP) is involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. GIP agonism is thought to contribute to tirzepatide's effect but the mechanism is not fully settled.

0 likes in reply to #1 17mo
CT
cannula_traceTL3Regular1 Mar 2025 · edited#23

post #22 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

Cross-reactivity and selectivity: the compounds are not perfectly selective for their target receptors. Semaglutide has some activity on other receptors; tirzepatide activates both GLP-1 and GIP with different affinities. The off-target effects are part of the overall pharmacology.

8 likes 17mo
DB
da.bakkerTL2 Moderator1 Mar 2025#24

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

19 likes 17mo
FE
footnote_entryTL3Regular1 Mar 2025#25

Picking up post #22: that is the part I would want checked first.

Glucagon receptor agonism: glucagon receptor agonism increases energy expenditure and promotes hepatic fat oxidation. The mechanism is distinct from GLP-1 and GIP agonism and the clinical consequences are still being characterised.

0 likes 17mo
HC
h.castellanosTL2 Moderator1 Mar 2025#26
g.tamm, post #4: Glucagon receptor agonism: glucagon receptor agonism increases energy expenditure and promotes hepatic fat oxidation. The mechanism is distinct from GLP-1 and GIP agonism and the clinical consequences are still being characterised. Go to post

Coming back to post #24, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Glucagon receptor agonism: glucagon receptor agonism increases energy expenditure and promotes hepatic fat oxidation. The mechanism is distinct from GLP-1 and GIP agonism and the clinical consequences are still being characterised.

2 likes in reply to #4 17mo
NR
n.rowntreeTL3Regular1 Mar 2025#27

Long-term receptor changes: very little is known about what happens to receptor expression, signalling, and downstream effects over years of exposure to these compounds. That is exactly the knowledge gap phase 3 trials exist to fill.

13 likes 17mo
KK
k.kuuselaTL2 Moderator2 Mar 2025#28

GLP-1 receptor signalling: the GLP-1 receptor is expressed on beta cells (insulin secretion), on neurons (appetite and gastric motility), and on myocardium (contractility). Different tissues respond to the same signal in different ways.

26 likes 17mo
TD
titration_diaryTL3Regular2 Mar 2025#29
h.almeida, post #1: Posting this under the heading it deserves: Biased agonism: a real phenomenon, an over-used explanation Everything below is what sits behind that. A documentation question rather than an analytical one. I have a certificate in front of me that reports a purity figure, names a technique, gives a wavelength, and stops. No gradient, no… Go to post

This follows post #26 rather than contradicting it.

GIP receptor signalling: the glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide receptor (GIP) is involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. GIP agonism is thought to contribute to tirzepatide's effect but the mechanism is not fully settled.

20 likes in reply to #1 17mo
IB
i.boatengTL2 Moderator2 Mar 2025#30

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

0 likes 17mo