Cancer and arthritis therapy may be promising treatment for diabetes

An antibody used to treat certain cancers and rheumatoid arthritis appears to greatly delay type 1 diabetes in mice, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

“Even better, the beneficial effects of the antibody continue to be observed long after the antibody is no longer administered,” the researchers said.

The antibody, rituximab (anti-CD20), depletes B cells. Experimental evidence in mutant mice indicates that B cells play a role in autoimmune diseases by interacting with T cells of the immune system. It is T cells that destroy insulin-producing cells directly in the pancreas, leading to type 1 diabetes.

“Our paper shows, for the first time, that after successful B cell depletion, regulatory cells emerge that can continue to suppress the inflammatory and autoimmune response even after the B cells return,” said Li Wen, senior research scientist in the division of endocrinology. “Even more strikingly, we found that these regulatory cells include both B and T cells.”

To determine if B cell depletion would work as a therapy for type 1 diabetes, Wen and her colleague at Yale, Mark Shlomchik, M.D., professor of laboratory medicine and immunobiology, developed a mouse model. They engineered mice that were predisposed to diabetes and had the human version of CD20, the molecule rituximab targets, on the surface of their B cells.

The researchers tested a mouse version of the drug to deplete B cells in mice either before diabetes onset, or within days of diagnosis with diabetes. The drug treatment significantly delayed diabetes onset in pre-diabetic mice. This translated to a 10- to 15-week delay in developing diabetes compared to mice given a “sham” treatment. The equivalent period for humans would be approximately 10 to 15 years. Of the 14 mice that already had diabetes, five stopped needing insulin for two to five months while all the sham-treated mice remained diabetic.

“These studies suggest that B cells can have dual roles in diabetes and possibly other autoimmune diseases. The B cells might promote disease initially, but after being reconstituted following initial depletion with rituximab, they actually block further disease,” Shlomchik added. “This means that multiple rounds of medication to deplete the B cells might not be necessary or even advisable.”

Source: Yale University

Related stories:

Insight into mechanisms of diabetes-induced microvascular disease reveals new therapies
New findings from Bristol scientists could lead to future treatments to prevent lower limb amputations in diabetes - which currently affect 100 people a week in the UK (source Diabetes UK).
Small protein may have big role in making more bone and less fat
A small protein may have a big role in helping you make more bone and less fat, researchers say. "The pathways are parallel, and the idea is if you can somehow disrupt the fat production pathway, you will get more bone," says Dr. Xingming Shi, bone biologist at the Medical College of Georgia Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics.
Growth hormone's link to starvation may be clue to increasing life span
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that starvation blocks the effects of growth hormone via a mechanism that may have implications in treating diabetes and extending life span.
Starvation hormone makes for small mice
Chronically high levels of a recently discovered starvation hormone markedly stunt the growth of mice, reveals a new study in the July issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press. The liver-produced hormone known as FGF21 does so by causing the mice to become resistant to growth hormone.
Common cooking spice shows promise in combating diabetes and obesity
Shown to reverse inflammation associated with obesity and improves blood sugar control
Turmeric, an Asian spice found in many curries, has a long history of use in reducing inflammation, healing wounds and relieving pain, but can it prevent diabetes? Since inflammation plays a big role in many diseases and is believed to be involved in onset of both obesity and Type 2 diabetes, Drew Tortoriello, M.D., an endocrinologist and research scientist at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center, and his colleagues were curious what effect the herb might have on diabetic mice.
Red wine's resveratrol may help battle obesity
Resveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine, reduces the number of fat cells and may one day be used to treat or prevent obesity, according to a new study. The results will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Unexpected finding of molecule's dual role in mice may open new avenue to cholesterol reduction
Researchers have discovered an unknown regulator of fat and cholesterol production in the liver of mice, a significant finding that could lead to new therapies for lowering unhealthy blood levels of cholesterol and fats.
Vitamin supplement little more than 'snake oil'
A popular vitamin supplement is being advertised with claims that are demonstrably untrue, as revealed by research published in the open access journal BMC Pharmacology.

News discussion:

Medicine & Health news