Voglibose

Voglibose is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor. Drugs in this group are saccharides that compete with the enzymes the body needs to digest carbohydrates, specifically the alpha-glucosidase enzymes in the brush border of the small intestine. These membrane-bound enzymes break oligosaccharides, trisaccharides and disaccharides down to glucose and other monosaccharides in the small intestine. Acarbose also blocks pancreatic alpha-amylase, on top of inhibiting the membrane-bound alpha-glucosidases. Pancreatic alpha-amylase breaks complex starches down to oligosaccharides in the lumen of the small intestine. When these enzyme systems are inhibited, complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly. The carbohydrates aren't broken down into glucose molecules, so less glucose is absorbed. In diabetic patients, the short-term effect of these drugs is to lower current blood glucose levels, and the long-term effect is a small reduction in hemoglobin-A1c level.