A scientific study published on the journal Diabetes, edited by the American Diabetes Association, describes for the first time the pharmacological action of thiazolidinediones (TZDs) —anti-diabetic drugs— directly on pancreas, the organ which produces insulin. The research, carried out with laboratory animal models, is led by the professor Carme Caelles, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Faculty of Pharmacy), at her laboratory in the Barcelona Science Park.

”

Insulin is the main hormone which regulates blood glucose levels. When pancreas does not produce enough insulin, type 1diabetes takes place, which requires a daily administration of insulin. On the contrary, type 2 diabetes is caused by a problem in the way your body uses insulin (resistance to his hormone) and is associated with overweight and physical inactivity.

The article published on Diabetes analyses type 2 diabetes: the most common form of diabetes (85-90 % of diabetics). Often, people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms at first, but it end up producing hyperglycemia due to insulin resistance. In the pharmacological field, type 2 diabetes can be treated with some drugs such as sulfonylureas, which increase insulin production and facilitate glucose absorption to cell metabolism (anti-hyperglycemic action). Other drugs, for example metformin, can also help as they limit the glucose synthesis carried out by the liver.

The work –,which is also signed by the experts Jordi Lamuza-Masdeu and M. Isabel Arévalo (Faculty of Pharmacy), Cristina Vila (IRB Barcelona) and Albert Barberà (Hospital Clínic of Barcelona-IDIBAPS),–is focused on the action of thiazolidinediones (TZDs), oral anti-diabetic drugs which reduce insulin resistance and exert insulin-sensitizing action directly on tissues. The authors of the study have provided the first evidence of TZDs pharmacological action on pancreatic β cells —insulin producers— and shown new research lines on the action of these drugs to control glucose metabolism. The study generated a transgenic mouse model that allows JNK activation in tissues which has been an excellent in vivo model to prove the action mechanism of TZD drugs.

For further information [+]