From cradle to grave: pancreatic beta-cell mass and glucagon-like peptide-1.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus and its clinical correlates, including impaired fasting blood glucose, obesity and insulin resistance, represent a significant public health issue worldwide, with the prevalence of these metabolic conditions increasing exponentially. Given the staggering financial costs and human suffering incurred by diabetes and its co-morbid conditions, any safe new therapeutic interventions that prove to have a beneficial effect in reducing the incidence of diabetes in susceptible individuals or in preventing progression of the disease would have major public health benefits. Studies on the regulation of beta-cell mass have demonstrated a remarkable plasticity, from fetal through adult life, as well as in response to a variety of stresses. These findings are considered in this review in the context of newer studies on the intestinal hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1, which not only enhances beta-cell function, but also stimulates beta-cell growth, neogenesis and survival.
Wong
V S C
VS
Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
Brubaker
P L
PL