Abstract
Insufficient pancreatic β-cell or insulin-producing β-cell are implicated in all types of diabetes mellitus. Our previous studies showed bee pollen polysaccharide RBPP-P improves insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic mice by inhibiting liver fat deposition. However, its potential of regulating β-cell function and integrity is not fully known. Herein, we observed that β-cell proliferation (n = 10), insulin synthesis (n = 5, p = 0.01684) and insulin incretion (n = 5, p = 0.02115) were intensely activated in MIN6 cells when treatment with RBPP-P. In alloxan-induced diabetic mice, oral administration of RBPP-P (n = 10) effectively decreased the blood glucose (p = 0.0326), drink intake (p < 0.001) and urine (p < 0.001). It directly stimulated phosphorylation of p38 (p = 0.00439), ERK (p = 0.02951) and AKT (p = 0.0072) to maintain the islet function and mass. Thus, our data suggest that RBPP-P is a natural compound to regulate β-cell proliferation and function, indicating it might have therapeutic potential against type 1 diabetes.
Highlights
Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of insulinproducing pancreatic β-cell and resultant hyperglycemia (Wilcox et al, 2016; Katsarou et al, 2017)
Concentration-effect relationship indicated that the enhancement of cell proliferation by RBPP-P was 20.8, 45 and 30.3% at the concentration of 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 mg/ml (Figure 2A)
T1DM is a metabolic disease characterized by impaired insulin secretion and resultant hyperglycemia (Lebovita, 2010)
Summary
Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of insulinproducing pancreatic β-cell and resultant hyperglycemia (Wilcox et al, 2016; Katsarou et al, 2017). The treatment of diabetes is mainly based on administration of insulin, the replacement or regeneration of insulin-producing cells, pancreas transplantation (Atkinson et al, 2014). Around 80% of the world’s population uses natural plants and their bioactive compositions for effective, less expensive and low-toxicity treatment (World Health Organization, 2017). These compounds have relative ability to reduce blood glucose while maintaining their growth and secreting properties targeting the endogenous β-cell. Increasing the number of pancreatic β-cell or enhancing the function of islets is an effective way to treat T1DM (Mustafa et al, 2012; Vetere et al, 2014; Alejandro et al, 2015)
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