Rate Of Beta-cell Apoptosis Research Articles

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Type 1 Diabetes - Where Do We Stand?

Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is a disease characterized by autoimmune mediated destruction of the insulin producing beta cells of endocrine pancreas. Beside insulin deficiency, T1DM is also characterized by abnormal suppression of glucagon secretion in response to hyperglycemia. All these abnormalities are likely to leave patients dependent upon exogenous insulin administration for survival. GLP-1 is a hormone secreted by L-cells of distal small intestine and colon. GLP-1 exerts its effects through the interaction with GLP-1 receptor expressed in the pancreatic islets, lung, hypothalamus, stomach, heart and kidney. It belongs to the group of incretin peptides and it stimulates insulin and inhibits glucagon secretion. Actions of GLP-1 also include delaying of gastric emptying, reduction of appetite and induction of satiety. On the other hand, evidences mainly collected from animal models, have indicated the role of GLP-1 in increasing beta cell proliferation and differentiation and in decreasing the rate of beta cell apoptosis. GLP-1 receptor agonists are approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes where they have established very important position. However, they are still not approved for use in T1DM, although they could have beneficial effects in both new onset and longstanding T1DM patients, mainly as an adjunctive therapy to insulin in order to improve glycemic control and body weight management in longstanding disease or to reduce insulin requirements or even to delay the absolute dependence upon insulin administration in new onset T1DM. Randomized, long-term, placebo controlled clinical trials are warranted before the official implementation of GLP-1 receptor agonists in the treatment of T1DM.

Reduced Proliferation and a High Apoptotic Frequency of Pancreatic Beta Cells Contribute to Genetically-determined Diabetes Susceptibility of db/db BKS Mice

Leptin receptor-deficient db/db mice are a commonly used research model and it is known that the genetic background, on which the mutation is bred, modulates the phenotype. While diabetes-resistant strains sustain near normal glycemia and hyperinsulinemia, susceptible backgrounds develop overt hyperglycemia and islet involution. We hypothesized that genetically-determined differences in the proliferative capacity and the apoptotic frequency of pancreatic beta cells contribute to this phenotypic disparity. We studied C57BLKS/J (BKS; diabetes-susceptible) and C57BL/6 (B6; diabetes-resistant) db/db mice and heterozygous controls from 5 to 12 weeks of age. Body weight, fasting blood glucose, plasma insulin, HOMA-IR, alpha cell mass, beta cell mass, proliferation and apoptosis were measured. Comparable insulin resistance developed in the 2 db/db strains, which was well compensated for on both genetic backgrounds until 7 weeks of age. As expected, the BKS mice became hyperglycemic at 9 weeks. Beta cell proliferation was initially increased in both db/db strains but decreased rapidly in the BKS mice with advancing age. The rate of beta cell apoptosis was already higher in prediabetic BKS mice than in their B6 counterparts. Beta cell mass increased continuously in the B6 strain until 12 weeks of age, but declined from 7 weeks onwards in BKS. An age-dependent decline of beta cell proliferation and an increased rate of beta cell apoptosis already in the prediabetic state probably contribute to the diabetes susceptibility of db/db BKS mice. These factors could also play a role in the genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes in humans.

Human high-density lipoprotein particles prevent activation of the JNK pathway induced by human oxidised low-density lipoprotein particles in pancreatic beta cells

We explored the potential adverse effects of pro-atherogenic oxidised LDL-cholesterol particles on beta cell function. Isolated human and rat islets and different insulin-secreting cell lines were incubated with human oxidised LDL with or without HDL particles. The insulin level was monitored by ELISA, real-time PCR and a rat insulin promoter construct linked to luciferase gene reporter. Cell apoptosis was determined by scoring cells displaying pycnotic nuclei. Prolonged incubation with human oxidised LDL particles led to a reduction in preproinsulin expression levels, whereas the insulin level was preserved in the presence of native LDL-cholesterol. The loss of insulin production occurred at the transcriptional levels and was associated with an increase in activator protein-1 transcriptional activity. The rise in activator protein-1 activity resulted from activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK, now known as mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 [MAPK8]) due to a subsequent decrease in islet-brain 1 (IB1; now known as MAPK8 interacting protein 1) levels. Consistent with the pro-apoptotic role of the JNK pathway, oxidised LDL also induced a twofold increase in the rate of beta cell apoptosis. Treatment of the cells with JNK inhibitor peptides or HDL countered the effects mediated by oxidised LDL. These data provide strong evidence that oxidised LDL particles exert deleterious effects in the progression of beta cell failure in diabetes and that these effects can be countered by HDL particles.