Indole-3 carbinol on lipid accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans as a novel therapeutic for Type II Diabetes

Abstract

Over the past 35 years, an epidemic in diabetes has caused a spike in health and cardiovascular complications worldwide, impacting especially our most vulnerable populations. An accumulation of lipids in cells plays an important role in the development of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar. The pathology of T2D is marked by an increased deposition of lipids with subsequent decreases in insulin sensitivity. This lipid-induced hepatic insulin resistance, however, is difficult to target because the molecular mechanisms regarding the pathogenesis of T2D have remained elusive. Despite this, there is reason to believe that Indole-3 carbinol (I3C),which regulates the expression and activity of enzymes involved in the metabolism and elimination process of organic compounds, may therefore provide a valuable therapeutic strategy against the lipid accumulation associated with T2D. This study investigates the effect of the antioxidant I3C as a prospective novel treatment to reduce lipid accumulation, thus countering the progression of T2D. The purpose of this study was to test if exposing a model organism to varying amounts of I3C would lead to a decrease in lipid levels. Using transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans (Strain LIU1) to model T2D, this study found a correlation between an I3C high diet and decreased lipid accumulation, suggesting that it may be an effective treatment.