Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition affecting around 462 million people worldwide.
It occurs when the body struggles to use sugar as fuel, leading to high blood sugar levels and long-term health issues.
But new research is shedding light on how we might prevent one of the key problems linked to this disease: the formation of harmful protein clumps in the pancreas.
A team of researchers, led by Professor Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and Florida State University’s National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, has discovered how insulin, zinc, and pH levels can work together to block the buildup of these harmful clumps.
Their findings, published in Communications Biology, could pave the way for new treatments for people with type 2 diabetes.
The study focuses on the interaction between insulin and a hormone called amylin, also known as human islet amyloid polypeptide (hiAPP). Amylin is produced in the pancreas alongside insulin and plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels and energy balance.
However, amylin can also clump together to form amyloid fibers, which can damage the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, making diabetes worse.
“Understanding how insulin affects amylin’s tendency to form harmful clumps is crucial for understanding type 2 diabetes,” said Professor Ramamoorthy, who led the study.
What makes this study unique is its focus on enhancing insulin’s ability to protect against the damaging effects of amylin clumps.
By better understanding this interaction, researchers hope to develop new treatments that can prevent or reduce the formation of these harmful clumps in people with type 2 diabetes.
“Amylin clumps are similar to the plaques that form in the brain in diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s,” explained Sam McCalpin, a post-doctoral researcher in the Ramamoorthy lab. These clumps, or amyloid plaques, can severely damage the cells responsible for producing hormones like insulin.
The research team found that insulin has some natural ability to prevent amylin from clumping, but it’s not strong enough on its own to make a big impact on type 2 diabetes. This is where zinc and pH levels come into play.
These factors can enhance insulin’s protective effects, making it more effective at blocking amylin clumps.
The results of this study not only offer new insights into the complex interactions that lead to diabetes but also provide a foundation for developing new drugs.
These potential treatments could break up existing amyloid clumps or prevent them from forming in the first place, offering new hope to millions of people living with type 2 diabetes.
Researchers from the Technical University of Munich, the University of Michigan, and the University of Bordeaux also contributed to this groundbreaking study.
The discoveries made here could revolutionize how we treat type 2 diabetes, moving us closer to finding more effective ways to manage this widespread disease.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes, and how to manage high blood pressure and diabetes with healthy foods.
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