Brown Fat Transplant Reversed Type 1 Diabetes without Insulin in Non-Obese Diabetic Mice

Newswise — Bethesda, Md. (July 1, 2015)—An estimated 1.25 million people in the U.S. have type 1 diabetes (T1D). T1D is an autoimmune disease in which the pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that helps the body process glucose (sugar) from food. The disease can strike suddenly in children and adults and leads to a lifelong dependence on insulin injections or an insulin pump. Subhadra C. Gunawardana and David Piston of Vanderbilt University previously found that embryonic brown fat transplants can establish normal blood sugar levels without the use of insulin in a mouse model of insulin-deficient diabetes. In a new study, the team found that brown fat transplant reversed T1D and restored glucose tolerance to normal in non-obese diabetic mice (in 53 percent of the study sample). They also found that brown fat transplantation before T1D onset could delay or prevent the disease altogether. Though still in an experimental phase, brown fat transplant could hold promise as a permanent treatment for T1D. “Once the success rates of this technique are optimized and suitable alternatives to embryonic tissue are established, insulin-independent reversal of diabetes using adipose tissue can become a realistic option,” the researchers wrote. The article “Insulin-independent reversal of type 1 diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice with brown adipose tissue transplant” is published in the American Journal of Physiology–Endocrinology and Metabolism. It is highlighted as one of this month’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program. View the full study: http://ow.ly/P2ZkF. Read all of this month’s selected research articles at http://apsselect.physiology.org.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact Stacy Brooks at [email protected] or 301-634-7209.

Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. Established in 1887, the American Physiological Society (APS) was the first U.S. society in the biomedical sciences field. The Society represents more than 11,000 members and publishes 14 peer-reviewed journals with a worldwide readership.