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The synthetic hormone erythropoietin alpha (Epo) can protect and increase growth of insulin-producing beta cells, advancing the possibility of curing diabetes. The results come from a new study that will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Canadian researchers showed in mice that Epo, which is used to treat patients with anemia, prevented both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes or reversed already developed diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease characterized by insufficient beta cells in the pancreas and too little of the hormone insulin or poor use of the body’s insulin. The result is abnormally high levels of glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream. In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the beta cells, which produce insulin. There is no cure, and people with Type 1 diabetes require lifelong insulin treatment. In Type 2, the most common form, the beta cells become damaged through the cycle of elevated blood sugar, of which obesity and consumption of excess calories are thought to play a role.

Erythropoietin in the body is responsible for formation of red blood cells. Recent studies have shown that recombinant, or man-made, Epo can protect against tissue injury.

In the new study, diabetic mice received injections of either Epo or saline, as a control, three times a week for four weeks. For both types of diabetes, mice treated with Epo had reduced blood sugar levels compared with controls. When diabetic mice received Epo, their blood sugar levels returned to a normal range, therefore reversing diabetes, said study principal investigator, Minna Woo, MD, PhD, a clinician-scientist at the University of Toronto in Canada. “Epo, when given at the onset of diabetes, prevented diabetes from occurring,” Woo said.

Woo and colleagues proved in two ways that Epo’s direct action on pancreatic beta cells was responsible for the results, rather than enhanced sensitivity to insulin. First, they measured insulin sensitivity by the insulin tolerance test, a test of the body’s ability to use insulin, and there was no difference between treated mice and controls. Furthermore, mice that were genetically engineered to lack the Epo receptor only in the beta cells—so-called Epo-receptor “knockout” mice—were not protected against chemically induced diabetes despite treatment with Epo.

“This shows the direct effects of Epo on beta cells,” Woo said.

She called Epo “a safe recombinant hormone that has been available for more than 20 years.” Clinical trials are testing new forms of Epo that provide cell protection but do not cause excess formation of red blood cells.

“Such strategies to promote protection and growth of beta cells hold promise for the cure of diabetes,” Woo stated

 

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Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Md. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.