(Press-News.org) Research published today shows that a peptide (small protein) called PEPITEM could provide a revolutionary approach to reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related diseases such as hepatic steatosis (fatty liver).
The researchers used an animal model of obesity to investigate whether PEPITEM, delivered by a slow-release pump, could prevent or reverse the effects that a high fat diet has on the pancreas. Excitingly, the results showed that administration of PEPITEM significantly reduced the enlargement of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and also significantly reduced immune cell migration into various tissues.
The research team was led by Dr Helen MCGettrick and Dr Asif Iqbal from the University of Birmingham's Institute of Inflammation and Ageing and Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences. Dr McGettrick said: “We have found a new therapeutic approach that could provide new drugs to tackle the root cause of obesity-related conditions by preventing the damage caused by systemic inflammation.
PEPITEM was first identified in 2015 by Birmingham researchers who described its role in the adiponectin-PEPITEM pathway, which is involved in controlling the onset and severity of auto-immune and chronic inflammatory diseases.
Obesity causes complex and dramatic changes in metabolism in adipose (fat) tissue, damage to the pancreas, reduced insulin sensitivity and eventually the hyperglycaemia that underpins type 2 diabetes. It also causes a low-level inflammatory response across the boyd, encouraging white blood cells to enter into many tissues including the visceral adipose tissue (fat stored deep inside the body wrapped around the organs, including the liver and gut) and peritoneal cavity (a thin membrane that encompasses the gut).
The latest research, published in Clinical and Experimental Immunology, shows that the adiponectin-PEPITEM pathway also connects obesity, the low-level inflammatory response that is driven by it, and changes in the pancreas that precede diabetes.
The results showed that dosing with PEPITEM while the mice were on a high fat diet significantly reduced the enlargement of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and the number of white blood cells in the visceral adipose tissue and peritoneal cavity, compared to controls.
The researchers also looked at the potential of PEPITEM to reverse the changes brought on by obesity, by feeding the animals a high fat diet prior to treating with PEPITEM. Excitingly, they saw similar results. Dr Asif Iqbal commented: “Until now we have understood very little about how the inflammation that accompanies obesity drives pathology. These results show us that PEPITEM can both prevent and reverse the impact that obesity has on metabolism. The next stage is to translate these exciting results into therapeutics that can be used in humans.”
Professor Ed Rainger from Birmingham’s Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences led the team that first identified PEPITEM. He commented: “We are all very excited about these latest results. PEPITEM is a naturally occurring peptide. We have already shown it has effects on several organs and now for the first time, we have shown that PEPITEM is effective in a model of a disease process that is not driven by the immune system alone.”
University of Birmingham Enterprise had already filed patent applications covering PEPITEM compositions and therapeutic uses, and has now filed a further application covering its use in the use in the prophylaxis or treatment of obesity-associated inflammatory conditions including chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and pancreatic beta-cell damage.
END
Naturally occurring peptide may tackle the ‘root cause’ of obesity-related conditions
2023-03-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
C-reactive protein reduces the immune response in inflammatory disease
2023-03-09
The biological function of the C-reactive protein, CRP, has long been unknown. Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden now show that this protein has a beneficial function in systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE, an inflammatory disease. But this is true only for one of CRP’s two forms, according to the study published in Journal of Autoimmunity.
Most of us have had a CRP blood test on more than one occasion. This is a very common routine health care test used to detect infection or systemic inflammation in the body. What is measured is the level of C-reactive protein, or CRP for short.
“CRP ...
Study: Higher fracture risk after total hip replacement when cementless implant used to treat femoral neck fracture
2023-03-09
A study by Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and other centers found that total hip replacement performed with a cementless prosthesis for a femoral neck fracture led to a higher rate of a second fracture and subsequent revision surgery. The research was presented today at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. The results were also published online in The Journal of Arthroplasty in October 2022.
Treatments for a femoral neck fracture range from nonoperative management to total hip replacement. When hip replacement is the best treatment option, it can be performed with or without bone cement to secure the prosthesis.
“Femoral ...
Mass General researchers discover the role of intestinal fibrosis in inflammatory bowel disease
2023-03-09
Intestinal fibrosis is a common feature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the primary cause of end-stage organ failure. Traditionally considered a bystander of inflammation, with negligible involvement in disease pathogenesis, new research published in Gastroenterology now shows that fibrosis has a direct bearing on disease progression in IBD.
The investigation was spearheaded by Nima Saeidi, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School, along with co-first authors, Shijie He, PhD, and Peng Lei, PhD.
The critical question posed by the investigators ...
Digital rectal examination is not useful to early detect prostate cancers
2023-03-09
A common method of detecting prostate cancer may not be accurate enough as a reliable screening tool by itself, scientists have warned.
The digital rectal exam (DRE) is widely used by medical professionals to check the prostate gland with a finger for unusual swelling or lumps in the rectum as an initial check for the signs of prostate cancer in men.
In some countries, such as Germany, it is the sole method used in a national screening programme for the disease.
But new research by scientists of the PROBASE trial coordinated at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) ...
Long Covid is much less likely after omicron than after variant circulating at start of COVID-19 pandemic
2023-03-09
**Note: the release below is a special early release from the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2023, Copenhagen, 15-18 April). Please credit the conference if you use this story**
Embargo: 2301H UK time Wednesday 8 March
The omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is much less likely to lead to long Covid than the variant circulating at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research being presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2023, Copenhagen, 15-18 April) suggests.
The Swiss study found that healthcare ...
World’s most comprehensive study on COVID-19 mental health
2023-03-09
COVID-19 has taken a relatively limited toll on the mental health of most people around the globe, according to a paper published today in the BMJ by a McGill University-led research team involving collaborators from McMaster University, the University of Toronto, and other institutions.
The team reviewed data from 137 studies in various languages involving 134 cohorts of people from around the world. Most of the studies were from high or middle-income countries, and about 75% of participants were adults and 25% were children and adolescents between the ages of 10-19.
To their surprise, the researchers found that despite the dramatic stories to the contrary, where ...
Low dose radiation linked to increased lifetime risk of heart disease
2023-03-09
Exposure to low doses of ionising radiation is associated with a modestly increased excess risk of heart disease, finds an analysis of the latest evidence published by The BMJ today.
The researchers say these findings “have implications for patients who undergo radiation exposure as part of their medical care, as well as policy makers involved in managing radiation risks to radiation workers and the public.”
And a linked editorial suggests that these risks “should now be carefully considered in protection ...
Study suggests little deterioration in mental health linked to the pandemic
2023-03-09
Mental health among the general population has not changed by large amounts during the covid-19 pandemic compared with pre-pandemic levels, finds a study published by The BMJ today.
Some specific groups, particularly women, appear to have been more negatively affected, but changes have been minimal to small, say the researchers.
Many studies and media reports suggest that covid-19 has led to widespread decline in mental health, but inconsistencies in study quality and misinterpretation of cross-sectional data may ...
Can children map read at the age of four?
2023-03-09
Children start to develop the basic skills that underlie map reading from the age of four – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.
A new study published today reveals that they become able to use a scale model to find things in the real world.
The study involved 175 two to five-year-olds and is the largest of its kind.
The team say that this new spatial ability potentially lays the foundations for maths and science skills.
Lead researcher Dr Martin Doherty, from UEA’s School of Psychology, said: “We wanted to find out when children can use scale models or maps ...
Eiphosoma laphygmae likely to be best classical biological control against devastating fall armyworm pest
2023-03-09
A review, conducted by CABI scientist Dr Marc Kenis suggests that the parasitoid Eiphosoma laphygmae is likely to be the best classical biological control from the Americas against the devastating fall armyworm pest.
Dr Kenis, Head of Risk Analysis and Invasion Ecology based at CABI’s Swiss centre in Delémont, evaluated the prospects and constraints of a classical biological control programme to fight the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) using larval parasitoids which are considered the most suitable natural enemies ...