There are four main cell types in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas; α-cells which secrete glucagon, β-cells which secrete insulin, δ-cells which secrete somatostatin, and PP cells which secrete pancreatic polypeptide. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease…
Blog Archives
PPARγ– A New Twist in the Tale
Obesity and related disorders such as diabetes have reached epidemic proportions. Although the anti-diabetic thiazolidinediones (glitazones) are effective insulin sensitizers, some members of the class have been withdrawn or had their use restricted because of safety concerns. Increased responsiveness to…
Role for Unique Protein in Diabetes
The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF5A, which exists in two isoforms, was originally thought to be involved in formation of the first peptide bond during mRNA translation, but more recent work has implicated it as a translation elongation factor. In…
Potent Inhibitor of Insulin Degrading Enzyme Reported
A new study from a Mayo Clinic-led research team has identified novel, potent inhibitors of insulin degrading enzyme (IDE). Despite an interest in IDE for over 50 years, because of its involvement in insulin catabolism, these are the first potent…
Snacking Leads to Inactivity, Obesity
‘Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, sup like a pauper’ is an old and well known proverb but a recently published study gives new insights into why following this advice might help to fight obesity and diabetes. Researchers…
You Are What You Eat
The link between diet and epigenetics in humans is notoriously difficult to study since people are, unsurprisingly, resistant to being fed a strictly controlled diet. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute have, however, shown that exposure to fatty acids can cause…
Another Way to Control GLP-1
The incretin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), is an intestinal hormone that stimulates production and release of insulin from pancreatic beta cells. Consequently there has been considerable interest in mimicking the activity of GLP-1 for treatment of metabolic disorders such as Type-II…
New Insights into Adipogenesis
The nuclear receptor, PPARγ, has hitherto been regarded as the master regulator of adipogenesis, without which new adipose tissue cannot be formed. Adipogenesis plays a key role in obesity and associated metabolic diseases such as type II diabetes and the…
New Indication for Aldose Reductase Inhibitors?
The physiological role of aldose reductase (AR) is still incompletely understood, although it has long been associated with the pathogenesis of diabetes-associated diseases such as cataract and neuropathy. In the last twenty years a number of AR inhibitors have entered…
Metformin Linked to Reduced Cancer Risk
Pancreatic cancer has one of the highest fatality rates of all cancers and is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States; more than 35,000 people were estimated to have died from the disease in 2008. Patients…
