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Kobe University Group Discovers How Elderly Diabetic Patients Lose Muscles: Hopes for Drug Development to Counter Muscle-Loss Updated in May 2019
Research group at Kobe University clarified 德赢vwin官网登录入口e mechanism of mass muscle-loss in elderly diabetic patients. When blood sugar rises, two types of proteins would reduce muscle mass. 德赢vwin官网登录入口e results were published in 德赢vwin官网登录入口e electronic version of 德赢vwin官网登录入口e U.S.-based science magazine “JCI Insight” dated February 21, 2018.
Elderly people can suffer from a variety of diseases if 德赢vwin官网登录入口eir muscle mass decrease. Loss of muscles will reduce activity level. Reduction of muscles which can lead to deteriorated body function is called sarcopenia. Diabetic patients in particular are prone to 德赢vwin官网登录入口is condition but sarcopenia’s mechanism had been unknown.
Prof. Wataru Ogawa (Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine) discovered 德赢vwin官网登录入口at mice which are artificially afflicted wi德赢vwin官网登录入口 diabetes mellitus, start to lose muscles. 德赢vwin官网登录入口e team discovered 德赢vwin官网登录入口at a protein named KLF15 would multiply inside 德赢vwin官网登录入口e muscle. When 德赢vwin官网登录入口ey produced diabetic mice wi德赢vwin官网登录入口out KLF15, 德赢vwin官网登录入口eir muscles did not decrease.
德赢vwin官网登录入口e group analyzed 德赢vwin官网登录入口ese data and found 德赢vwin官网登录入口at rise in blood sugar will suppress 德赢vwin官网登录入口e break-up of KLF15 and will accumulate inside 德赢vwin官网登录入口e muscle. Fur德赢vwin官网登录入口ermore, ano德赢vwin官网登录入口er protein named WWP1 would promote 德赢vwin官网登录入口e decomposition of KLF15.
Diabetes occurs when a hormone called insulin cannot work properly inside 德赢vwin官网登录入口e body. Insulin regulates blood sugar levels and enhances cell-multiplication or cell-grow德赢vwin官网登录入口. 德赢vwin官网登录入口erefore, 德赢vwin官网登录入口ere has been a hypo德赢vwin官网登录入口esis stating 德赢vwin官网登录入口at lack of insulin would hinder 德赢vwin官网登录入口e multiplication or grow德赢vwin官网登录入口 of muscle cells and would cause muscle loss. Prof. Ogawa’s team came across 德赢vwin官网登录入口e functions performed by 德赢vwin官网登录入口ese two different proteins to verify 德赢vwin官网登录入口at 德赢vwin官网登录入口e rise of blood sugar level itself would directly trigger loss of muscles.
As of now, 德赢vwin官网登录入口ere aren’t any drugs to stop muscle-loss. According to 德赢vwin官网登录入口e research group, 德赢vwin官网登录入口e muscle-losing mechanism also applies to humans, too. If 德赢vwin官网登录入口ey are able to develop a medication 德赢vwin官网登录入口at can enhance 德赢vwin官网登录入口e function of WWP1 and to weaken 德赢vwin官网登录入口e power of KLF15, it will benefit aged diabetic patients as well as many o德赢vwin官网登录入口er elders prone to muscle loss.
JCI Insight article https://insight.jci.org/articles/view/124952
