Cardiovascular Benefits of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists

The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R), a G-protein-coupled receptor, is a central regulator of glucose metabolism and cardiovascular health.Activated by the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, GLP-1R plays a vital role in enhancing insulin secretion, inhibiting glucagon release, and improving pancreatic beta-cell function, making it a critical target for therapeutic interventions in type 2 diabetes.Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are key agents for glycemic control and offer substantial cardiovascular benefits.GLP-1R is extensively expressed across various cardiovascular tissues, highlighting its potential role in cardioprotection, with GLP-1 RAs showing promise in reducing myocardial apoptosis, improving cardiac function, enhancing nitric oxide production for endothelial health, and preventing vascular remodeling.This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective effects of GLP-1R and GLP-1RAs, discuss the implications of recent clinical trials, and explore potential avenues for future research, focusing on the need to investigate GLP-1R-dependent and -independent mechanisms of cardiovascular protection, patient variability due to genetic factors, and strategies for optimizing personalized treatment approaches in cardiovascular disease management.