Type 1 diabetes is characterized by an immune-mediated destruction of the beta-cells, associated with autoantibodies against islet antigens developing years ahead of the clinical manifestation. However, the disease is heterogeneous, and its pathogenesis is far from fully understood. Besides focus on the importance of virus, hygiene, early nutrition, gut microbiome, etc., one hypothesis is that ...

The dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor sitagliptin is an attractive therapy for diabetes, as it increases insulin release and may preserve β-cell mass. However, sitagliptin also increases β-cell release of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), the peptide component of islet amyloid, which is cosecreted with insulin. Thus, sitagliptin treatment may promote islet amyloid formation and it...

Islet amyloid deposition in type 2 diabetes is associated with reduced beta-cell mass. Therefore, interventions aimed at reducing islet amyloid formation may help preserve beta-cell mass in type 2 diabetes. Rosiglitazone and metformin act by different mechanisms to improve insulin sensitivity and thereby reduce beta-cell secretory demand, resulting in decreased release of insulin and islet amyl...

Copper enhances amyloid cytotoxicity and mediates human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) oligomerization; nickel, a redox inactive metal with similar protein binding affinity to copper, also mimics this effect, thereby demonstrating copper-mediated hIAPP cytotoxicity is due mainly to granular oligomer generation rather than ROS accumulation in type 2 diabetes.

Passive immunotherapy using fibril-reactive mAbs has been shown experimentally to reduce amyloid formation and also accelerate amyloidolysis. We now report that human sera, as well as various sources of pooled human IgG, including pharmacologic formulations of immune globulin i.v. (IGIV), contain Abs that specifically recognize fibrils formed from light chains and other amyloidogenic precursor ...

Amyloid deposits localized to the islets of Langerhans are typical of non-insulin-dependent human diabetes mellitus and of diabetes mellitus in adult cats. Amyloid deposits also commonly occur in insulin-producing pancreatic tumors. We have purified a major protein--insulinoma or islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP)--from human and cat islet amyloid and from amyloid of a human insulinoma. IAPP from...