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Diabetes

Enhancing β-cell mass in diabetes mellitus

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 12, page 64 (2016)Cite this article

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A new study has demonstrated that serpinB1, a liver-derived protease inhibitor, can promote β-cell proliferation in mice, zebrafish and humans. The researchers found that mice lacking serpinB1 had reduced β-cell compensation in response to insulin resistance. Furthermore, treating islets with serpinB1 in vitro resulted in inhibition of elastase and activation of growth factor and survival-factor signalling pathways. Although these findings are an important step in achieving regeneration of functional β cells, more work is needed to identify other factors involved and to determine whether this approach can be used safely in humans.

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References

  1. El Ouaamari, A. et al. SerpinB1 promotes pancreatic β cell proliferation. Cell Metab. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2015.12.001

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  1. Claire Greenhill
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Greenhill, C. Enhancing β-cell mass in diabetes mellitus. Nat Rev Endocrinol 12, 64 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2015.232

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