2017-10-23 08:09:43
A recently produced discovery is related to a very novel cellular communication mechanism that was not suspected to be involved in the development of resistance to the action of the hormone insulin. This resistance is what leads to type 2 diabetes (type 1 is caused by the death of pancreatic cells that produce insulin), and to increased blood glucose levels and other physiological and metabolic problems.
Modern research has revealed that, in addition to increased fat accumulation, obesity is associated with a state of chronic inflammation of adipose tissue, the liver, and even skeletal muscle. This state of inflammation leads to the accumulation of cells of the immune system in those tissues, in particular an accumulation of cells called M1-type macrophages.
The state of inflammation, the accumulation of macrophages, and some substances that they produce increase insulin resistance and favor the development of type 2 diabetes. However, research has also revealed that the substances that M1 macrophages produce are not may be solely responsible and that these cells must also affect surrounding cells in other ways. One of the possible ways, recently revealed by science, could be the generation of exosomes. Exosomes are tiny vesicles secreted by cells that contain certain molecules inside, which can affect the behavior of neighboring cells. Among these molecules you can find some proteins, but above all there are the so-called micro interfering ribonucleic acids (RNA) (miRNA).
miRNAs are small pieces of RNA that interfere with the production of proteins from specific genes, which contain sequences of letters to which these miRNAs can bind. In this way, miRNAs affect the functioning of genes in neighboring cells to the one that produces the exosomes.
Researchers from the University of San Diego, in California, USA, are now studying whether macrophages produce exosomes, whether these can be taken up by other cells, and whether their composition is different between M1 and M2 macrophages, which could affect the development of exosomes. insulin resistance. The researchers find that if they inject normal laboratory mice with exosomes derived from M1 macrophages, present in the adipose tissue of obese mice, the liver of the injected animals increases their resistance to insulin, leading to type 2 diabetes. However, the injection of exosomes derived from M2 macrophages, present in the adipose tissue of non-obese mice, increases the sensitivity of the liver to this hormone, which protects against the development of this disease.
This knowledge may allow the development of new drugs that block its activity in the future, which will help mitigate the development of type 2 diabetes in obese people.
More information on Jorge Laborda’s Blog: a diabetic message
Referencias: Ying et al., Adipose Tissue Macrophage-Derived Exosomal miRNAs Can Modulate In Vivo and In Vitro Insulin Sensitivity, Cell (2017),
Popular works by Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume I. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume II. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume III. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume IV. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume V. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume VI. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume VII. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume VIII. Jorge Laborda
Chained circumstances. Ed.Lulu
One moon, one civilization. Why the Moon tells us that we are alone in the Universe
One Moon one civilization why the Moon tells us we are alone in the universe
The intelligence funnel and other essays
#Cienciaes.com #diabetic #message #Science #Podcast