Newly discovered human peptide may become a new treatment for diabetes

摘要

New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that humanin, a peptide produced by the human body, increases the metabolism of glucose in beta cells, which in turn markedly increases insulin secretion. Even if the obesity trend cannot be reversed, here's hope that it's partner in crime-diabetes-might be thwarted. New research published in the December 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal shows how a recently discovered human peptide, called humanin, could lead to powerful new treatments for some people living with diabetes. That's because research in mice and rats shows that a humanin analogue (a peptide molecularly similar to humanin) increases insulin secretion leading to an increase in glucose metabolism within beta cells. "Diabetes is a major disease that is expected to affect more than 500 million people in the next two decades," said Radhika Muzumdar, M.D., study author from the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine in the Divisions of Endocrinology and Geriatrics at Children's Hospital at Montefiore at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. "Humanin could be a potential weapon in our arsenal in the fight against this global problem."