Liraglutide is known as an incretin mimetic, meaning it acts as a glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonist; it increases insulin resistance and decreases excessive glucagon release.
This peptide has been shown to stimulate insulin secretion from the isolated β-cell islets in a glucose-dependent manner in vitro, as well as Liraglutide-attenuated β-cell apoptosis, even under adverse conditions with high concentration of free fatty acids.