New research directed by Adrian Liston, from Vib/Ku Leuven, in Flanders, Belgium, has discovered that a common genetic defect in beta cells can be the basis of the two forms of diabetes, type 1 and type 2, as revealedIn an article about this work published in Nature Genetics.Despite being called a "lifestyle disease", diabetes has a strong genetic base.
Worldwide, 400 million people live with diabetes, a figure that is expected to increase rapidly.Most diabetes patients are type 1 diabetics, a pathology triggered by autoimmunity at an early age, and type 2 diabetics, caused by a metabolic dysfunction of the liver.
"Our research detected that genetics is essential for the survival of beta cells in the pancreas, which are insulin producing cells. Thanks to our genetic composition, some of us have beta cells that are resistant and robust, while others possessBeta cells that are fragile and cannot handle stress..
Diabetes is a hidden murderer, with one in 11 adults who suffers it but half of them without having been diagnosed.It is caused by the inability of the body to reduce blood glucose, a process normally driven by insulin.In patients with type 1 diabetes, it occurs because the immune system kills beta cells that produce insulin, while in type 2 diabetes, a metabolic dysfunction prevents insulin from working on the liver.In both cases, if not, excess blood glucose can cause blindness, cardiovascular diseases, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy and death.
International Team
In this study, an international team of researchers evaluated how genetic variation controls the development of diabetes.While most previous work has focused on the effect of genetics on the alteration of the immune system (in type 1 diabetes) and the metabolic dysfunction of the liver (in type 2 diabetes), this work found that genetics also affectsto beta cells that produce insulin.
Study mice with beeta cells that were deficient in repairing DNA damage quickly developed diabetes when those beta cells were challenged by cellular stress.Other mice with robust beta cells that were good in the repair of DNA damage were able to remain non -diabetic throughout their lives, even when those pancreatic islets were placed under severe cellular stress.
They also saw that the same ways for the survival of beta cells were altered and for repairing the DNA damage in diabetic patients samples, indicating that a genetic predisposition to fragile beta cells can be the basis that diabetes develops.
Liston points out: "Although genetics is really the most important factor for the development of diabetes, our food environment can also play a decisive role. In mice even with genetically superior beta cells, they ended up being diabetic when we increased fat in their diet"
a new animal model for the development of drugs
Current treatments for type 2 diabetes focus on improving the metabolic response of the liver to insulin.These antidiabetic drugs, together with lifestyle interventions, can control the early stages of type 2 diabetes, so they allow theInsulin work again in the liver.
However, during the last stages of type 2 diabetes, the death of beta cells means that there is no insulin producing in the pancreas.At this stage, antidiabetics and lifestyle interventions have little efficiency and medical complications arise.
According to Liston, the "big problem" in the development of drugs for the late phase of type 2 diabetes is that, until now, there has not been an animal model of the stage of the death of beta cells."Previously, animal models are based on the early stage of metabolic dysfunction in the liver, which has allowed the development of good medications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in early stage. This new mouse model will allow us, for the firstOnce, try new antidiabetic medications that focus on the preservation of beta cells. "
"There are many promising drugs in the development phase in companies that were waiting for a useful animal model. Who knows, can even be useful compounds hidden in alternative or traditional medicines that can be found through a good test program. If it is found that a drug isWell for late -stage diabetes, it would really be an important medical advance, "he concludes.