Georgi’s Blog

Good news for diabetics

Cell magazine ( one of the top three science magazines ) has published an article called “TRPV1+ Sensory Neurons Control b Cell Stress and Islet Inflammation in Autoimmune Diabetes”. In few words they are able to reduce diabetic progress and recover insulin production. It is expected in an year or two to have a cure for diabetes.

SUMMARY
In type 1 diabetes, T cell-mediated death of
pancreatic b cells produces insulin deficiency.
However, what attracts or restricts broadly
autoreactive lymphocyte pools to the pancreas
remains unclear. We report that TRPV1+ pancre-
atic sensory neurons control islet inflammation
and insulin resistance. Eliminating these neu-
rons in diabetes-prone NOD mice prevents
insulitis and diabetes, despite systemic persis-
tence of pathogenic T cell pools. Insulin resis-
tance and b cell stress of prediabetic NOD
mice are prevented when TRPV1+ neurons are
eliminated. TRPV1NOD, localized to the Idd4.1
diabetes-risk locus, is a hypofunctional mutant,
mediating depressed neurogenic inflammation.
Delivering the neuropeptide substance P by
intra-arterial injection into the NOD pancreas
reverses abnormal insulin resistance, insulitis,
and diabetes for weeks. Concordantly, insulin
sensitivity is enhanced in trpv1 mice, whereas
insulitis/diabetes-resistant NODxB6Idd4-con-
genic mice, carrying wild-type TRPV1, show re-
stored TRPV1 function and insulin sensitivity.
Our data uncover a fundamental role for insulin-
responsive TRPV1+ sensory neurons in b cell
function and diabetes pathoetiology

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