Chronic inflammation has long been thought to have ties to Type 2 diabetes, and now researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) believe they have discovered what that connection may be. The findings also point to a possible molecular target for treating the disease, which is a growing epidemic in the U.S.
Scientists found that endocannabinoids, natural messenger chemicals in the body that help regulate many biological functions, are also involved in an inflammatory chain that can kill cells in the pancreas, where insulin is produced. Recent research has found a connection between endocannabinoids--which are chemically similar to the active compound in marijuana--to metabolic problems that induce diabetes.
"To understand Type 2 diabetes, a public health threat that affects young and old alike, we need to consider all the factors at play," said co-author Dr. Monica Skarulis, staff clinician at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. "We hope that what we've learned from this research will help us develop new strategies to prevent and treat the condition."
In a Type 2 diabetes rat model, researchers found that when they activated the endocannabinoids of immune system cells called macrophages that rid the body of cellular waste and pathogens located in the pancreas, a protein complex within the macrophages called the Nlrp3 inflammasome also became activated. This led to the release of molecules from the inflammasome that killed pancreatic beta cells in rats, spurring the progression of Type 2 diabetes in the animals.
Conversely, when the rats were treated with compounds that deplete macrophages or block the peripheral cannabinoid receptors, beta cell function was restored and the severity of the animals' disease was reduced. The research was published Aug. 18 in the journal Nature Medicine.
- read the NIH press release
- here's the study abstract