In a study published last Tuesday (4) in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism, experts report the discovery of a molecule located in adipose tissue that can perform the same function as insulin, namely: regulate blood sugar levels. The idea is that, with this new knowledge, medicine can create new treatments for diabetes.
The molecule — called FGF1 — works by inhibiting the breakdown of fat (lipolysis), and may be a future ally for people who have insulin resistance, for example. The laboratory has shown, in the midst of a study with mice, that an injection of FGF1 can reduce blood glucose and that chronic treatment with FGF1 can precisely alleviate insulin resistance. However, there is still a long way to go to fully understand the processes that involve the molecule.
Anyway, in this study, the team noticed that FGF1 regulates the production of glucose in the liver as well as insulin, which raised a question: do FGF1 and insulin use the same signaling pathways to regulate blood glucose?
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The answer surprised the group. While insulin suppresses lipolysis through an enzyme called PDE3B, FGF1 works with a different pathway called PDE4.
According to the researchers, this is a good sign, because when a person has insulin resistance, the signaling is impaired. Since the two act through different signaling pathways, if one is not working, the other can still function normally. “The ability of FGF1 to induce glucose reduction in insulin-resistant diabetic mice is promising for diabetic patients,” the group points out.
