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Pharmacology of Insulin Quiz
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Which of these oral antidiabetic drugs is a sulfonylurea?
- A Pioglitazone You picked ✕
- B Metformin You picked ✕
- C Gliclazide You picked ✓
- D Dapagliflozin You picked ✕
- E Sitagliptin You picked ✕
Correct!
Incorrect
The answer is C: Gliclazide
Explanation
Why C is correct
See Oral and Non-Insulin Antidiabetic Drugs. Option C is correct. Sulfonylureas are oral drugs that stimulate the beta cells of the pancreas (the cells that make insulin) to release insulin. They only work if some beta-cell function remains, and their main risk is hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose), which is more likely with long-acting ones such as glimepiride. The BNF lists gliclazide, glimepiride, glipizide and tolbutamide, and their names tend to start with "gli" and end in "-ide". Drug names carry clues to their class, which saves a lot of memorising. Several other antidiabetic classes also contain "gli", but in the middle of the name, followed by a class ending: -gliptin for DPP-4 inhibitors, -gliflozin for SGLT2 inhibitors and -glitazone for thiazolidinediones. Metformin, a biguanide, has a different ending (-formin) and no "gli" at all.
- Class: sulfonylureas stimulate the beta cells of the pancreas to release insulin.
- Naming clue: the names start with gli and end in -ide, as in gliclazide.
- Main risk: hypoglycaemia, and they only work if some beta-cell function remains.
Spotting the ending, or the "gli" at the start of a name that ends in "-ide", lets you name the class and predict its main adverse effect.
Why the other options are incorrect
- A. Pioglitazone: Pioglitazone is a thiazolidinedione, and the ending "-glitazone" gives its class away. It improves insulin sensitivity in the tissues and does not stimulate insulin release. Your answer
- B. Metformin: Metformin is a biguanide, the usual first-line drug in type 2 diabetes. Its name has no "gli" start, and it works by reducing glucose production in the liver, not by stimulating insulin release. Your answer
- D. Dapagliflozin: Dapagliflozin is an SGLT2 inhibitor, and the ending "-gliflozin" gives its class away. It makes the kidneys pass glucose in the urine and does not stimulate insulin release. Your answer
- E. Sitagliptin: Sitagliptin is a DPP-4 inhibitor, and the ending "-gliptin" gives its class away. It prolongs the action of the gut hormones GLP-1 and GIP rather than acting directly on the beta cells. Your answer
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More questions from this set. Start the quiz to answer them and see each explanation.
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1
Which antidiabetic drug class acts by blocking glucose reabsorption in the proximal renal tubule, leading to glycosuria?
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2
A 56-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes has suboptimal glycaemic control despite maximal tolerated metformin. Pioglitazone is considered, but she has chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and intermittent ankle swelling. Why is pioglitazone contraindicated?
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