SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
The Potential Role of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, United States
- 2Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversitat - Nurnberg, Nuremberg, Germany
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
This manuscript provides the first comprehensive systematic review synthesizing both preclinical and clinical evidence on the therapeutic potential of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) in substance use disorders (SUDs). While robust preclinical studies consistently demonstrate significant reductions in drug-seeking, intake, and relapse-like behaviors, clinical trials to date remain limited and heterogeneous. By integrating translational perspectives across alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and opioid use disorders, this review highlights the mechanistic plausibility and emerging clinical relevance of GLP-1RAs as a novel pharmacotherapeutic approach for addiction medicine. The work adheres to PRISMA 2020 guidelines and is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024571356). It addresses a rapidly evolving area at the intersection of neuropharmacology, psychiatry, and metabolic medicine, which we believe is of particular interest to the readership of Frontiers in Pharmacology.
Keywords: Addiction, alcohol use disorder, GLP-1 recepter agonist, Neuropharmacology, substance use disorder, Systematic review, translational medicine
Received: 10 Sep 2025; Accepted: 03 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Völker, Prechtl, Bormann and Choi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kim Martina Völker
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.