Posted on 12/15/2006 8:44:37 AM PST by kellynla
In a discovery that has stunned even those behind it, scientists at a Toronto hospital say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes, opening the door to a potential near-cure of the disease that affects millions of Canadians.
Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas.
"I couldn't believe it," said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. "Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more."
The researchers caution they have yet to confirm their findings in people, but say they expect results from human studies within a year or so. Any treatment that may emerge to help at least some patients would likely be years away from hitting the market.
But the excitement of the team from Sick Kids, whose work is being published today in the journal Cell, is almost palpable.
"I've never seen anything like it," said Dr. Hans Michael Dosch, an immunologist at the hospital and a leader of the studies. "In my career, this is unique."
Their conclusions upset conventional wisdom that Type 1 diabetes, the most serious form of the illness that typically first appears in childhood, was solely caused by auto-immune responses -- the body's immune system turning on itself.
They also conclude that there are far more similarities than previously thought between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and that nerves likely play a role in other chronic inflammatory conditions, such as asthma and Crohn's disease.
The "paradigm-changing" study opens "a novel, exciting door to address one of the diseases with large societal impact," said Dr. Christian Stohler, a leading U.S. pain specialist and dean of dentistry at the University of Maryland, who has reviewed the work.
"The treatment and diagnosis of neuropathic diseases is poised to take a dramatic leap forward because of the impressive research."
About two million Canadians suffer from diabetes, 10% of them with Type 1, contributing to 41,000 deaths a year.
Insulin replacement therapy is the only treatment of Type 1, and cannot prevent many of the side effects, from heart attacks to kidney failure.
In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to shift glucose into the cells that need it. In Type 2 diabetes, the insulin that is produced is not used effectively -- something called insulin resistance -- also resulting in poor absorption of glucose.
The problems stem partly from inflammation -- and eventual death -- of insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas.
Dr. Dosch had concluded in a 1999 paper that there were surprising similarities between diabetes and multiple sclerosis, a central nervous system disease. His interest was also piqued by the presence around the insulin-producing islets of an "enormous" number of nerves, pain neurons primarily used to signal the brain that tissue has been damaged.
Suspecting a link between the nerves and diabetes, he and Dr. Salter used an old experimental trick -- injecting capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot chili peppers, to kill the pancreatic sensory nerves in mice that had an equivalent of Type 1 diabetes.
"Then we had the biggest shock of our lives," Dr. Dosch said. Almost immediately, the islets began producing insulin normally "It was a shock ? really out of left field, because nothing in the literature was saying anything about this."
It turns out the nerves secrete neuropeptides that are instrumental in the proper functioning of the islets. Further study by the team, which also involved the University of Calgary and the Jackson Laboratory in Maine, found that the nerves in diabetic mice were releasing too little of the neuropeptides, resulting in a "vicious cycle" of stress on the islets.
So next they injected the neuropeptide "substance P" in the pancreases of diabetic mice, a demanding task given the tiny size of the rodent organs. The results were dramatic.
The islet inflammation cleared up and the diabetes was gone. Some have remained in that state for as long as four months, with just one injection.
They also discovered that their treatments curbed the insulin resistance that is the hallmark of Type 2 diabetes, and that insulin resistance is a major factor in Type 1 diabetes, suggesting the two illnesses are quite similar.
While pain scientists have been receptive to the research, immunologists have voiced skepticism at the idea of the nervous system playing such a major role in the disease. Editors of Cell put the Toronto researchers through vigorous review to prove the validity of their conclusions, though an editorial in the publication gives a positive review of the work.
"It will no doubt cause a great deal of consternation," said Dr. Salter about his paper.
The researchers are now setting out to confirm that the connection between sensory nerves and diabetes holds true in humans. If it does, they will see if their treatments have the same effects on people as they did on mice.
Nothing is for sure, but "there is a great deal of promise," Dr. Salter said.
My gut tells me that a lot of large companies in the world will fight this like crazy. I wish I could say it was a tinfoil rational, but having seen some similar instances...
I prefer injecting a dozen 3-mile-island hot chicken wings by the oral method in a beer suspension. It definitely gets the capsaicin into the system.
Many of the people that work at those companies have family members with diabetes or have it themselves.
I work at a medical device company that builds an insulin pump. My son has type 1 diabetes. I would gladly put myself out of work to help cure him.
My kid has Type 1, and I'm OK with it. He's a special little monkey, and if his Islet cells are actually not dead, but non-responsive, I'd like for the remedy to not actually kill them, or do some other damage. (Pancreas also sends signals to your liver as you wake, telling it to release sugar to help you come back out of sleep).
Nice news for a Friday.
And I don't need much convincing to take capsaicin. Two scrambled eggs per six fl. oz. of Tabasco. Yummmmmm.
Wait, there must be some mistake. Michael J. Fox hasn't given his opinion yet to George Stephanopolous.
(Also, does this mean Mary Tyler Moore will quit whoring for embryonic stem cells?)
I am cheering!
help me with "unsat"
unsatisfactory?
Don't forget the part about asthma; Big Macs and more SUVs, too.
Multi millions of victims healed?...
Could cost the Pharmo Industry a fortune too..
Eric, read the article! They are talking about Type 1 (!) and Type 2
Everyone with diabetes had better hope this cure doesn't contain trans fats.
I think the most hopeful thing is that testing and insulin technology is so much better than even a few years ago, and can only get better. It seems to be nowhere near the threat to day-to-day life it was in the days of pork insulin and urine tests.
Type I, from the article and perhaps some benefit for Type II as they progress in their experiments.
Oddly, I know of someone dying from diabetes at this very moment. He was taken off life support yesterday.
This is wonderful news. There are 28 million diabetics in this country alone. The morbidity from diabetes is astounding ... everything from heart disease to peripheral vasuscular disease to required amputations to visual loss and stroke. The list seems endless. If this is ever able to be made into clinical application millions of lives will be made all the better. Insurance rates should drop dramatically. Qualities of life should be enhanced for millions upon millions of people. Little children with Type I disease could possibly live normal lives. I hope and pray this is possible.
What does capsaicin have to do with stem cells?
>>>No use for people like me: ten years since diagnosis, islet cells long dead.<<<
Won't do much for me either - pancreas shot due to gallstone induced necrotic pancreatits.
My own brush with diabetes and retinopathy and glucose monitors and glucotrol was due to sarcoid, and is all now history, thanks to the Marshall Protocol.
Your mileage may vary, but I doubt it.
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