Growth Factors Restore Normal Blood Glucose Levels

Treatment with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and gastrin increases beta cell mass and prevents destruction of the cells.

Dr. Alex Rabinovitch of the University of Alberta in Edmonton and colleagues reported that, giving NOD mice with autoimmune diabetes EGF and gastrin for two weeks restored normoglycemia, tripled beta cell mass and increased insulin secretion eight-fold,

What’s more, Dr. Rabinovitch stated that, normalization of blood glucose continued for 10 weeks after treatment ended, which was a "surprise."

"The long-lasting maintenance of normal glycemia suggests that some switch has been turned so that the immune system is now suppressed," he said.

Nevertheless, he added that it is not clear whether EGF-gastrin treatment restores the population of immunoregulatory cells that are dysfunctional in type 1 diabetes, or whether some property of the new beta cells themselves makes them less likely to draw an autoimmune attack.

The researchers did find that giving immunodeficient NOD mice spleen cells from the EGF-gastrin-treated mice along with diabetogenic cells delayed the development of diabetes, suggesting that the treatment had induced immunoregulatory cells.
Patient enrollment in multi-center phase II clinical trials of EGF-gastrin treatment in type 1 and type 2 diabetes has begun, Dr. Rabinovitch said. The growth factors will be injected subcutaneously once or twice daily for one month.

In fact, Dr. Rabinovitch noted that he was "only one of dozens and dozens of investigators around the world now who are hot on the trail of beta cell expansion for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes."

Moreover, he concluded, "I’m sure that we’ll find that not only EGF and gastrin but other peptides have a beneficial effect on glucose control."
Diabetes 2005;54:2596-2601.

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