Scientists Discovered A Protein Injection That Could Treat Type 2 Diabetes

A new study in rats and mice suggests that a single shot, which is a protein injection, to the brain can get rid rats and mice of all the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes for months.

Science Alert reports that the findings were published in Nature Medicine. It was led by researchers from the University of Washington. This study could lead for future diabetes research.

The injection is called fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1). It is a growth-promoting protein known to lower blood glucose levels in diabetic mice. FGF1 is a relatively low dose of a tissue growth factor protein that resets powerful neural networks that can control the amount of sugar in the blood.

The researchers gave the mice a shot of FGF1 in the brain. They explained that FGF1 may be a more powerful player in the brain because it can activate a greater number of brain cell signals. They injected just a tenth of that intravenous dose directly into the brains of the mice. The said rodents have a moderate case of type 2 diabetes.

The results showed that the blood sugar levels in the mice had completely normalized after a week. This continued for over four months as the researchers monitored them, according to Ars Technica.

On the other hand, the researchers were perplexed because, after the injection, the mice lessen their food intake and lose a bit of weight. However, this effect disappeared after the first week. Then the rodents had eaten properly again and maintained their weights as that of the control diabetic rodents. This implies that the drop in glucose was not due to the rats and mice eating less or having a healthier weight but the sugar drop was due to some other reasons.

The researchers also found out that the insulin levels and the effectiveness of its sugar clearing ways weren't changed by the FGF1 shot in the rats and mice. They also explained that it is not clear how FGF1 does it. On the other hand, they added that FGF1 is naturally present in human brains as well as in rodents. They are hopeful that the protein injection may transform into a useful treatment.