The treatment ofhypoglycemia it is an important goal of medical research that has taken a big step forward in this regard.
In all forms of diabetes, blood sugars become too high because the body is unable to make or does not produce enough insulin, or the insulin it produces is not effective.. This means that people with diabetes have to manage their blood sugar levels on their own and these levels can commonly become dangerously high (hyperglycemia) or bass (hypoglycemia).
Episodes of hypoglycemia often occur during the night, disrupting sleep and sometimes causing seizures. Hypoglycemia causes unpleasant symptoms such as anxiety, palpitations, sweating, and hunger. If extreme, they can also cause dizziness, confusion, loss of consciousness, and if left untreated, coma and even death.
A research conducted byUniversity of Exeter, in collaboration with Rigel Pharmaceuticals, found a way to defend against hypoglycemia enhancing the hormonal defense systems. The team believes they have identified a promising target in the brain that could be useful for the future development of a drug to create an anti-hypoglycemic drug.
The results of the Research have been published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Endocrinology.
Hypoglycemia: some information on the development of the experimental drug
Researchers, funded by JDRF and supported by Diabetes UK, conducted laboratory experiments using a compound for preclinical tests (R481), which acts somewhat like metformin, a widely used type 2 diabetes drug. However, R481 works differently because it enters the brain and activates an important brain fuel indicator called AMPK (protein kinase activated byAMP).
The lead author of the study, Dr. Ana Cruz, of the University of Exeter, said: “Our work highlights the importance of a better understanding of brain-pancreas communication for increasing the body’s defenses against hypoglycemia. I see the daily emotional and physical impact that hypoglycemia can have and we believe these results have taken us one step closer to finding targets within this brain-pancreas network to mitigate the impact of hypoglycemia. ”
The researchers conducted experiments on neurons that specialize in sensing brain glucose (GT1-7 cells) in petri dishes and found that the compound works by activating this brain fuel indicator.
Scientists later found that in healthy rats, the drug increases hormonal defense against hypoglycemia by increasing the release of a hormone called glucagon from the pancreas. The drug activated a brain-pancreas link to defend against hypoglycemia, but did not change fasting blood sugar levels.
The senior author of the study, Dr. Craig Beall, of the University of Exeter said: “Our findings suggest that activating the brain fuel indicator we identified could be helpful in preventing hypoglycemia. In the long run, our goal is to create a pill that could be swallowed before bed to prevent nocturnal hypoxia. This is only the first step of a long journey, and we hope one day to be able to give some peace of mind to people with diabetes and to the parents of diabetic children “.
Dr. Lucy Chambers, Head of Research Communications at Diabetes UK, who supported the study, said: “This early stage research funded by Diabetes UK has uncovered important connections between the brain and the pancreas, which could lead to new treatments in the future to help people with diabetes avoid hypo, or restore their ability to recognize signs of hypoglycemia.
“Hypo and unawareness of hypo can be dangerous and debilitating and can have a huge impact on the daily life of people living with all types of diabetes. New treatments to treat hypo, or hypo unawareness, would make it much easier to live with diabetes, reducing anxieties and crucially protecting people from the serious consequences hypo can have.“.
Conor McKeever, Research Communications Manager at Type 1 Diabetes Charity JDRF, said: “Hypoglycemia is one of the things people with type 1 report being most afraid of their condition, so a treatment to prevent hypo would go a long way in alleviating some of the burden that comes with living with type 1.“.
“It could also help reduce the worry felt by family members, who tell us they regularly lose sleep for fear that their loved one has hypo during the night.. We are proud to have funded this research and look forward to seeing how it develops on the road to a new treatment for the 400,000 people living with type 1 in the UK. ‘
Evidence suggests that the 400,000 people with type 1 diabetes in the UK experience an average of two hypoglycemic episodes per week and one severe episode per year.. People with type 2 diabetes experience up to five episodes of hypoglycemia per year. Although the frequency is lower in type 2 diabetes, the overall rate is higher, as the condition affects over 4 million people in the UK.
The researchers published the structure of the compounds in their paper, titled “Permeable brain AMP activated protein kinase activator R481 increases blood glucose by activating the autonomic nervous system and amplifies the counter-regulatory response to hypoglycemia in ratsthe”. It is published on Frontiers in Endocrinology.
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