Diabetes - Cell Biology

What is Diabetes in the Context of Cell Biology?

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by high blood glucose levels. From a cell biology perspective, it primarily involves the malfunction of cells in the pancreas, particularly the beta cells in the islets of Langerhans.

How Does Insulin Function at the Cellular Level?

Insulin is a hormone secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas. It facilitates the uptake of glucose into cells by binding to the insulin receptors on the cell membrane. This binding triggers a signaling cascade that promotes the translocation of GLUT4 transporters to the cell surface, enhancing glucose uptake and utilization.

What Happens to Cells in Type 1 Diabetes?

In Type 1 Diabetes, the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys beta cells, leading to a severe deficiency in insulin production. This autoimmune response involves cytotoxic T cells and autoantibodies, which target specific beta-cell antigens.

How is Type 2 Diabetes Different at the Cellular Level?

Type 2 Diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance and a relative lack of insulin secretion. In this condition, cells in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue do not respond effectively to insulin. This resistance is often associated with obesity, where adipocytes secrete inflammatory cytokines that impair insulin signaling pathways.

What Cellular Changes Occur in Diabetic Complications?

Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to various complications at the cellular level. In the endothelial cells of blood vessels, high glucose levels cause oxidative stress and the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). This can result in vascular damage, leading to complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.

How Do Cellular Therapies Aim to Treat Diabetes?

Innovative cellular therapies for diabetes include islet transplantation and stem cell therapy. Islet transplantation involves transferring healthy islets from a donor to a diabetic patient to restore insulin production. Stem cell therapy focuses on differentiating pluripotent stem cells into insulin-producing beta cells, offering a potential cure for both types of diabetes.

What Research is Being Done at the Cellular Level?

Current research in cell biology aims to better understand the molecular mechanisms behind beta-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. Studies focus on identifying new biomarkers for early detection and developing drugs that target specific cellular pathways involved in glucose metabolism. Techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 are being employed to edit genes and potentially reverse diabetic conditions.

Relevant Publications

Use of a long-term continuous glucose monitor for predicting sulfonylurea dose in patients with neonatal diabetes mellitus: a case series.

Issue Release: 2025

Cost-effectiveness of add-on empagliflozin versus standard of care in management of CKD in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam - findings from a modelling study assessing an EMPA-KIDNEY eligible population, using CKD progression model.

Issue Release: 2024

Associations between sleep duration trajectories and risk of cardio-metabolic disease among middle-aged and older Chinese adults.

Issue Release: 2024

Dietary Amino Acids Promote Glucagon-like Hormone Release to Generate Novel Calcium Waves in Adipose Tissues.

Issue Release: 2024

Egg white-derived peptides reduced blood glucose in high-fat-diet and low-dose streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic mice regulating the hepatic gluconeogenic signaling and metabolic profile.

Issue Release: 2024

Lowering systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg versus less than 140 mm Hg in patients with high cardiovascular risk with and without diabetes or previous stroke: an open-label, blinded-outcome, randomised trial.

Issue Release: 2024

A rare presentation of isolated candidal hepatic abscess in a maintenance hemodialysis patient.

Issue Release: 2024

LIVERSTAT for risk stratification for patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.

Issue Release: 2024

Systemic Deletion of ARRDC4 Improves Cardiac Reserve and Exercise Capacity in Diabetes.

Issue Release: 2024

US Fourth-Year Medical Students: Diabetes Knowledge and Confidence Dissonance.

Issue Release: 2024

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential contributes to accelerated chronic kidney disease progression.

Issue Release: 2024

Case report: A rare case of simultaneous necrotizing fasciitis of the breast and forearm.

Issue Release: 2024

Chronic Kidney Disease Study in Diabetic Patients: Insights From Primary Care Units in Northern Portugal.

Issue Release: 2024

Exploring the Clinical Features, Management of Hypertension, and Predictors of Severity in Hospitalized Hypertensive COVID-19 Patients.

Issue Release: 2024

Evaluating Yoga-Based Intervention Versus the American Diabetes Association Exercise Regimen in Conjunction With Standard Care for Autonomic Neuropathy in Diabetes Mellitus: An Exploratory Clinical Trial.

Issue Release: 2024

Advances in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus by natural plant polysaccharides through regulation of gut microbiota and metabolism: A review.

Issue Release: 2024

Step-up approach for the treatment of infected necrotising pancreatitis: real life data from a single-centre experience with long-term follow-up.

Issue Release: 2024

Correction: The Regulate your Sitting Time (RESIT) intervention for reducing sitting time in individuals with type 2 diabetes: findings from a randomised-controlled feasibility trial.

Issue Release: 2024

Unveiling therapeutic potential: Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes in the management of diabetes mellitus, wound healing, and chronic ulcers.

Issue Release: 2024

A Comparison of CT-Based Pancreatic Segmentation Deep Learning Models.

Issue Release: 2024

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