New Anti-Inflammatory Drug May Help Prevent Diabetes
A novel anti-inflammatory compound, reduces the incidence
of diabetes in mice prone to developing the condition.
"
Our hope is that, one day, a clinician can use lisofylline
to slow down or prevent this disease in people at
high-risk for type 1 diabetes," lead author
Dr. Zandong Yang, from the University of Virginia
at Charlottesville, said in a university statement. "We
think this drug may have the ability to protect [beta-cells]
from death or damage."
Dr. Yang's team treated mice with streptozotocin
to induce a disease similar to type 1 diabetes
seen in humans. Prior and during treatment with
this agent,
some of the animals received intraperitoneal
injections of lisofylline.
In mice treated only with streptozotocin, the
incidence of diabetes was 91.6%. In contrast,
when animals
were also treated with lisofylline the incidence
was only 25%.
In mice protected from diabetes, the researchers
observed suppression of interferon-gamma and
TNF-alpha levels, reduced macrophage infiltration
in the
islets, restoration of beta-cell insulin secretion,
and reduced
beta-cell death.
The findings suggest "that treatment with lisofylline
suppresses proinflammatory cytokines and protects
beta-cells from inflammation," the investigators
state. In addition to type 1 diabetes, the drug could
help prevent other "disorders associated with
excessive proinflammatory cytokines," they add.
In 1999, lisofylline was tested as an agent
to prevent neutropenia-associated infections
among
patients
undergoing high-dose induction chemotherapy
for acute myeloid leukemia. However, the
drug failed
to achieve
the desired clinical endpoints. Pancreas
2003;April 30th online issue
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DID
YOU KNOW: A UCLA study found
that by age 65, one in four Hispanics is diagnosed
with diabetes. That compares to 15% of Asians
and only about 12% of whites.
