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State of the Art Review: Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 in Obesity-Related Asthma

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  • Glucagon-like Peptide-1 in Obesity-related Asthma
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Asthma is a heterogeneous condition characterized by chronic airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness, and mucin hypersecretion. Obesity-related asthma is one phenotype of asthma with significant metabolic dysregulation. A complete understanding of obesity-related asthma remains elusive, but it is most often characterized by the absence of hallmark features of Type-2 (T2) high asthma, such as eosinophilia or elevated exhaled nitric oxide (NO) levels. Patients with obesity-related and T2 low asthma with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) experience worse clinical outcomes, including more severe acute exacerbations. Among the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug classes for T2DM, there is a growing interest in glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists’ (GLP-1RAs) ability to potentially exert effects in the airway. Previous studies found that individuals with T2DM and asthma who were prescribed GLP-1RAs, had decreased asthma exacerbations and improved lung function. However, there remains a gap in understanding GLP-1RAs mechanism of action in the lung and airways to improve pulmonary function. In this review we discuss the potential mechanisms by which GLP-1RAs may impact T2 low asthma and offer a therapeutic option for this highly prevalent disorder.

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Acknowledgements

DG was supported by the T32 Training Program in Comparative Lung Biology and Medicine (#HL007013-46).

Funding

DG was supported by the T32 Training Program in Comparative Lung Biology and Medicine (#HL007013-46). AZ was supported by grants #HL148715 and #AI90779 from NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UC Davis Lung Center, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA

    Destiny R. Gomez, Angela Linderholm, Amir A. Zeki, Krishna M. Sundar & Nicholas J. Kenyon

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Isaac Swartzman

  3. Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Bethany P. Cummings

  4. Department of Surgery, Division of Foregut, Metabolic, and General Surgery, Center for Alimentary and Metabolic Sciences, Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA

    Bethany P. Cummings & Amir A. Zeki

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  1. Destiny R. Gomez
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  2. Isaac Swartzman
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  3. Angela Linderholm
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  4. Bethany P. Cummings
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  7. Nicholas J. Kenyon
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DRG, AAZ, NJK wrote the main manuscript. IS, AL, BPC assisted with tables and figures. KMS and NJK conceived manuscript with DRG. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nicholas J. Kenyon.

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Gomez, D.R., Swartzman, I., Linderholm, A. et al. State of the Art Review: Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 in Obesity-Related Asthma. Lung 203, 108 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-025-00861-z

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