Deficient Activity of FAD-Linked Glycerophosphate Dehydrogenase in the Mitochondria of Insulin-Producing Pancreatic Islets B-Cells: A Possible Cause of the Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

A deficient activity of mitochondrial FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase in insulin-producing pancreatic islet B-cells was recently identified in selected animal models of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The incidence of this enzymatic defect remains however to be unambiguously documented in type-2 diabetic patients. The present review mainly aims at speculating that the altered recognition of nutrients, especially D-glucose, by pancreatic B-cells, as resulting from the abovementioned enzymatic perturbation could also eventually lead to the development of the metabolic syndrome (MetS).