CLINICAL ADVANCES IN DIABETES MELLITUS 

Minerva Endocrinologica 2006 June;31(2):107-24

Copyright © 2006 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

From cradle to grave pancreatic b-cell mass and glucagon-like peptide-1

Wong V. S. C. ¹, Brubaker P. L. ^{1, 2}

¹ Department of Physiology University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada 2 Department of Medicine University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and its clinical correlates, including impaired fasting blood glucose, obesity and insulin resistance, represent a significant public health issue worldwide, with the prevalence of these metabolic conditions increasing exponentially. Given the staggering financial costs and human suffering incurred by diabetes and its co-morbid conditions, any safe new therapeutic interventions that prove to have a beneficial effect in reducing the incidence of diabetes in susceptible individuals or in preventing progression of the disease would have major public health benefits. Studies on the regulation of β-cell mass have demonstrated a remarkable plasticity, from fetal through adult life, as well as in response to a variety of stresses. These findings are considered in this review in the context of newer studies on the intestinal hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1, which not only enhances β-cell function, but also stimulates β-cell growth, neogenesis and survival.