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Metabolic & GLP-1 · Reference monograph

Once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist

Reference compound — not available from Purity Peptides. Shown for research context.

Overview

Liraglutide was the first acylated GLP-1 analogue to reach the market. Developed by Novo Nordisk, it shares 97% sequence identity with human GLP-1, with an arginine substitution at position 34 and a C16 palmitic acid attached to lysine 26 through a glutamic acid spacer. Albumin binding and self-association extend its half-life to about 13 hours.

Liraglutide is approved as Victoza for type 2 diabetes and as Saxenda for chronic weight management. The LEADER trial reported a reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk, and the SCALE programme evaluated body-weight outcomes. Generic versions have become available in several markets. For research, liraglutide is a well-characterised incretin peptides.">GLP-1 receptor agonist and a frequent comparator in in vitro studies and animal models.">preclinical studies. Our product is the research-grade reference compound and is not a medicine.

Mechanism studied

  1. Liraglutide
  2. GLP-1 receptor
  3. Insulin & satiety signalling
  4. Glucose & weight endpoints

Liraglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor on pancreatic beta cells, raising cAMP and potentiating glucose-dependent insulin release, while suppressing glucagon secretion from alpha cells. Central receptor activation in the hypothalamus and hindbrain reduces appetite, and gastric emptying is slowed, particularly early in exposure. Its fatty-acid chain promotes reversible albumin binding and heptamer formation, slowing absorption and protecting the peptide from DPP-4 and neutral endopeptidase degradation and allowing sustained receptor exposure over many hours.

Research highlights

  • 01First acylated GLP-1 analogue, with 97% homology to native GLP-1
  • 02LEADER trial reported reduced major cardiovascular events (NEJM, 2016)
  • 03SCALE programme evaluated chronic weight-management outcomes
  • 04Half-life of about 13 hours supports once-daily formulations
  • 05Common comparator compound in preclinical GLP-1 research

Latest published research

5,742 papers on PubMed →

  1. Engineering 3'-UTR hairpin structures to modulate mRNA stability and recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli

    Khasanshina Z et al. · Protein expression and purification · 2027 Jan · PMID 42674194

  2. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis for monitoring degradation and secondary structure transitions in therapeutic peptide formulations

    Godzo H et al. · Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy · 2026 Dec 15 · PMID 42330703

  3. Effects of sitagliptin combined with GTS-21 on improving glycemic control and diabetic nephropathy by anti-apoptosis in Lepr(db/db) mice

    Tian W et al. · European journal of pharmacology · 2026 Dec 10 · PMID 42874910

  4. Economic evaluation of tirzepatide, semaglutide, and liraglutide in the treatment of obese and overweight patients without diabetes: a short-term cost-effectiveness analysis in Iran

    Reiszadeh N et al. · Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders · 2026 Dec · PMID 42894545

  5. Real-world treatment-transition pathways and dosing patterns of insulin degludec/liraglutide in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes

    Zhang J et al. · Metabolism open · 2026 Dec · PMID 42857180

  6. Inflammatory mechanisms of pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and therapeutic strategies in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a narrative review

    Li T et al. · Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders · 2026 Dec · PMID 42787324

  7. Unimolecular GLP-1/APJ receptor co-agonism improves metabolism and dyslipidaemia as well as normalising hepatic triglyceride and aminotransferase elevation in high-fat-fed mice

    Sridhar A et al. · Diabetologia · 2026 Dec · PMID 42758304

  8. Protecting Musculoskeletal Development and Physical Function in Adolescents on GLP-1 Therapy

    Smith WA et al. · Childhood obesity (Print) · 2026 Dec · PMID 42544560

Live feed from PubMed (NCBI) for “Liraglutide”, updated 2026-10-30. Listing a paper is not an endorsement of its findings.

Registered studies

517 on ClinicalTrials.gov →

From the public ClinicalTrials.gov registry for “Liraglutide”, updated 2026-10-30. Shown for research context only; Purity Peptides products are not for human use.

Key references

  1. [1]Marso et al., 2016 — N Engl J Med 375:311–322
  2. [2]Pi-Sunyer et al., 2015 — N Engl J Med
  3. [3]Manufacturer's prescribing information — FDA / EMA / ANVISA

FAQ

  • Liraglutide was the first long-acting acylated GLP-1 analogue, and its pharmacology is extensively documented across clinical and preclinical literature. That makes it a well-understood benchmark against which newer incretin agonists are compared in receptor and animal studies.

  • Lyophilized Liraglutide is normally kept sealed at −20 °C, protected from light and moisture. Once reconstituted for laboratory work, aliquots are held at 2–8 °C for short-term use or frozen, avoiding repeated freeze–thaw. Follow the lot-specific guidance on the certificate of analysis.

  • Every lot of Liraglutide ships with a certificate of analysis reporting HPLC purity, mass-spectrometry identity against the expected molecular weight, appearance and lot number. Match the COA lot to the vial label and keep it with your experimental records.

FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY.Not for human or veterinary use. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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