Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are antihyperglycemic agents that lower blood glucose by delaying the digestion and absorption of complex carbohydrates. They are competitive inhibitors of the enzymes in the brush border of enterocytes that cleave eligosaccharides to monosaccharides. Their major action is to reduce the rise of postprandial plasma glucose. In non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients, these inhibitors decrease postprandial plasma glucose by 40 to 50 mg/dL and hemoglobin A(1c) by 0.5% to 1.0%.