Novel tack against diabetes
By Nathan Seppa
By thwarting cells from making inflammatory proteins, an experimental drug protects diabetes-prone mice from developing the disease, a new study has found.
The drug, lisofylline, slows the production of the immune-system proteins interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. In people with diabetes, inflammation orchestrated by these proteins kills off beta cells, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and can leave a person dependent on insulin injections.
In the study, 24 mice received five daily injections of a diabetes-inducing chemical known as streptozotocin. Half the mice also got lisofylline injections daily for 2 weeks, starting 5 days before the chemical doses began.