foodconsumer.org: Studies May Lead to Better Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

Studies May Lead to Better Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
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admin on 02/09/2010 12:52:00
 
Researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical School reported in the February issue of
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that an enzyme plays a role
in the development of type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas stops producing enough
insulin because the insulin-producing beta cells in the organ are attacked and
killed by the malfunctional immune system. Insulin is needed to maintain normal
levels of glucose in the blood.
It has been known that 12-LO is involved in the production of specific lipids
that can cause inflammation, which in turn scientists believe leads to deaths of
beta cells as shown in laboratory studies.
Actually, the researchers demonstrated that deleting the gene that produces
12-LO enzyme prevents type 1 diabetes in mice, suggesting that the enzyme may
play a role in the development of the disease.
Jerry Nadler, coauthor of the study, confirmed with his colleagues that 12-LO is
found in human inlets and  the pro-inflammatory lipids can lower insulin
production and cause beta cell deaths.
The findings may lead to the development of drugs that may block the production
of 12-LO and protect beta cells from being destroyed, eventually preventing type
1 diabetes.
Another study led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in
California found that a stress-related hormone has something to do with the
growth of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
The study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
showed the stress hormone could boost the production of the insulin-producing
cells in the pancreas in animal models.
Wylie Vale, Ph.D. and colleagues have already established the role of the
hormone called corticotropin-releasing factor (or CRF) in regulating the stress
response in people.
In the current study, Dr. Vale and colleagues found that when beta cells were
exposed to the hormone and high levels of blood sugar, they produce and release
insulin.
Editing by Rachel Stockton