Scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad have demonstrated the role of a protein secretagogin (SCGN) in increasing insulin action in obesity-induced diabetes.
CCMB said that the findings established SCGN as a functional insulin-binding protein with therapeutic potential against diabetes.
They show that SCGN binds to insulin and protects it from various stresses, increases its stability and adds to its action.
It said various kinds of cellular stresses can result in loss of structure and function of insulin, ultimately leading to diabetes.
At present, the processes regulating insulin synthesis, maturation, secretion and signalling in diabetes were not completely understood.
Yogendra Sharma from CCMB and his colleagues Anand Sharma, Radhika Khandelwal and Amrutha Chidananda have demonstrated the role of a protein secretagogin (SCGN) in increasing insulin action in obesity-induced diabetes.
The scientists have shown injection of SCGN (found at lower levels in diabetic patients) in obese diabetic mice clears excess insulin from circulation and reduces fat mass.
CCMB release said that SCGN treated animals also had lower levels of harmful
LDL-cholesterol and lower lipid accumulation in liver cells.
These findings were published in the latest issue of the journal iScience.
Diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are often linked with each other.
SCGN is found in lower quantities in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
The Researchers said that SCGN would soon become a diagnostic marker, and one should check its potential in diabetes management.
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