Pancreatic beta cells secreting insulin can regenerate thanks to alpha cells, argue Swiss scientists in the journal Nature. The results of their research prove that the mature pancreas is a plastic organ and open the door to further search for new ways of treating diabetes.
The adult pancreas is made up of various types of cells, including beta cells that produce insulin and alpha cells that produce glucagon (which increases blood sugar levels).
Pedro Herrera and colleagues from the University of Geneva studied mice in which beta cells were destroyed with a special toxin and observed that if they are initially kept alive by administering insulin, these animals are able to produce new beta cells.
Scientists have shown that most of the newly formed beta cells come from alpha cells, which reprogrammed and began to secrete not only glucagon but also insulin.
No one has ever focused on alpha cells as a potential source of beta cell regeneration when working on new treatments for diabetes. According to the authors of the study, when almost all beta cells are damaged, as is the case in patients with type 1 diabetes, special signaling pathways and secreting molecules enabling the regeneration of these cells are likely to be activated. A thorough understanding of this mechanism will allow us to develop an effective method of treating diabetes. (PAP)