
Protein Deposits Seem to Play Role in Type 2 Diabetes
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Protein Deposits Seem to Play Role in Type 2 Diabetes
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TUESDAY, Aug. 1, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Protein deposits in the pancreas may lead scientists to a better understanding of type 2 diabetes .
The protein -- called amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) -- collects in the pancreas in people with type 2 diabetes . But whether these deposits cause the disease or appear after the disease begins hasn't been clear.
Researchers from McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston injected mice with this protein to try to better define their role in type 2 diabetes . They found that when the mice received this protein, the animals developed symptoms of type 2 diabetes, such as the death of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and high blood sugar levels.
The study team also injected the protein into pancreatic tissue from healthy human donors. The researchers found IAPP collected in the pancreatic tissue.
"Almost all patients with type 2 diabetes have these protein [deposits], but we don't know if it's a disease pathway or a correlate," said study author Claudio Soto, a professor of neurology.
"I think the IAPP are really essential for the [development of] this disease, and that's why we did the animal studies," he said.
Type 2 diabetes begins with insulin resistance . Insulin is a hormone that helps the body usher sugar from foods into the body's cells to be used as energy. When someone
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