University of Connecticut scientists have developed a drug to treat diabetes The research findings, published by the University of Connecticut in the journal Cell Metabolism, will help develop new treatments for various metabolic diseases. The scientific work is briefly described in a press release on MedicalXpress.
The body is constantly renewing cells, but sometimes this mechanism fails. As a result, senescent or senescent cells accumulate in the tissues, which influence their environment by producing defective signaling molecules. As a result, surrounding cells may be less able to absorb nutrients such as sugar, causing a pre-diabetic state.
Scientists have developed and tested combinations of experimental drugs: dasatinib and quercetin. Dasatinib and quercetin have already been shown to prolong lifespan and improve health in aged mice. According to the findings, these drugs can cope with senescent cells in human adipose tissue cultures. Adipose tissue cells were also injected into mice, in which they caused metabolic disturbances. However, after treatment with dasatinib and quercetin, the harmful effects of adipose tissue virtually disappeared.
The researchers also analyzed a previously unexplored population of senescent cells that express high levels of p21, an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase and one of the key markers of cellular senescence. It turned out that cleansing of senescent cells once a month is effective both for slowing down the development of diabetes and for alleviating the manifested diabetic symptoms in obese mice.