What does sulfonylurea mean?
A sulfonylurea is an oral medicine used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It works mainly by stimulating pancreatic beta cells to release insulin, thereby lowering blood glucose. Sulfonylureas include older, first-generation drugs and newer, second-generation agents with different potency, duration of action, and side-effect profiles. They can be effective and inexpensive, but they may cause hypoglycaemia, weight gain, and other adverse effects, so their use requires medical supervision. In a chemical context, a sulfonylurea is any compound containing a functional group made from a sulfonyl unit and urea. In ordinary medical usage, however, the term usually identifies a member of the antidiabetic drug class.
nounA sulfonylurea is one of a class of oral medicines used to treat type 2 diabetes by stimulating insulin secretion from the pancreas. The term may also refer more generally to compounds containing a sulfonylurea functional group.
- Any of a class of oral medicines used to lower blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes by promoting insulin release from pancreatic beta cells.
- A chemical compound containing the sulfonylurea functional group, studied in pharmacology and chemistry.
"Her doctor prescribed a sulfonylurea to help control her blood sugar."
"The sulfonylurea helped stabilize her blood glucose levels."
"Researchers examined the sulfonylurea compound for its potential effects on cellular signaling."
Used when referring to multiple drugs in this class.
"The study compared several sulfonylureas in patients with type 2 diabetes."
One of the earliest effective oral diabetes drugs gave many people an alternative to daily insulin injections, although modern sulfonylureas require attention to the risk of low blood sugar.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sulfonylurea come from?
The word combines "sulfonyl," a term based on sulfur, with "urea," the organic compound historically associated with urine. Its formation follows the chemical practice of naming compounds after their constituent functional groups. Sulfur itself ultimately derives from Latin sulphur, while urea was named from Greek ouron, meaning "urine."
Related word forms
How sulfonylurea is actually used
In medicine, the word normally refers to a drug rather than to the chemical functional group. The British spelling is also commonly written "sulphonylurea". These medicines can cause hypoglycaemia and may be unsuitable for some people with kidney or liver problems.
Easily confused with sulfonylurea
A sulfonamide contains a sulfonamide group, whereas a sulfonylurea contains a sulfonylurea group; some sulfonamides are antibiotics, while sulfonylureas are chiefly used as oral treatments for type 2 diabetes.
Urea is a simple organic compound and nitrogen-containing waste product, while a sulfonylurea is a larger class of compounds formed by combining a sulfonyl group with urea.