Type 2 diabetes: new magic bullet against diabetes?

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MunichDiabetes can actually be treated well with medication - but not without side effects. American scientists claim that it is completely different with the growth factor EGF1. He should tackle the blood sugar problem at the root, without side effects.

Ronald Evans and his colleagues from the Salk Gene Expression Laboratory in California tested their new “miracle weapon” in the fight against diabetes in a mouse experiment. They injected the growth factor EGF1 into obese animals with diabetes; a control group remained untreated. The surprise: a single dose of EGF1 was enough to bring the rodents' blood sugar level back to normal.

Quickly degradable, has a specific effect

When healthy animals were given the drug, the researchers observed no effect. If, on the other hand, they switched off the gene for EGF1 in healthy mice, they developed diabetes. Molecular analyzes showed: The active ingredient directly reduces insulin resistance - one of the reasons for the development of type 2 diabetes.

"EGF1 has many advantages over other diabetes drugs," says lead author Jae Myoung Suh. "The body seems to break it down quickly and it has a specific effect on certain cell types." Nevertheless, EGF1 also stimulates cell growth in general in the body. Myoung and colleagues now want to develop a drug that only regulates blood sugar levels.

Creeping process

Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disease that is becoming an increasing problem worldwide. The body of those affected can only use carbohydrates such as sugar insufficiently - the result is an increased blood sugar level. Type 2 diabetes begins insidiously and is often recognized very late. (away)

Source: Salk News Release: Evans R. M. and Suh J. M at al .: One injection stops diabetes in its tracks, July 2014.

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