Our bodies need energy to function, and that energy comes from tiny structures inside our cells called mitochondria.
These are often called the “powerhouses” of the cell because they turn the food we eat into energy. But when mitochondria don’t work properly, it can lead to serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a common disease where the body cannot make enough insulin or can’t use it properly. Insulin is a hormone that controls how much sugar is in the blood. Without enough insulin, sugar builds up in the blood and causes health problems over time.
Scientists already knew that people with type 2 diabetes have damaged mitochondria in their insulin-making cells, called beta (β) cells. These cells live in the pancreas and help keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range. What scientists didn’t fully understand was why these mitochondria were damaged and how that damage caused diabetes.
A new study from the University of Michigan, published in the journal Science, has helped answer this question. The research team used mice to study what happens when the mitochondria in β-cells stop working properly.
They discovered that when mitochondria are damaged, they send out stress signals that make the β-cells behave like immature cells. These immature cells can’t make enough insulin, and that helps diabetes develop.
The lead researcher, Dr. Emily M. Walker, said that they focused on three key things that help mitochondria stay healthy: mitochondrial DNA, a cleanup process that removes broken mitochondria, and a system that keeps them working well. When any of these parts failed, the same problem happened—β-cells stopped working.
The researchers also found that this problem isn’t limited to β-cells. Since diabetes affects other parts of the body too, they checked to see if damaged mitochondria caused similar problems in liver cells and fat cells. They found the same issue—cells became immature and couldn’t do their job properly.
Dr. Scott A. Soleimanpour, the senior author of the study, explained that diabetes is a complicated disease that affects many body systems. Problems with weight gain, sugar production in the liver, and muscle function are all linked to diabetes. This study shows that damaged mitochondria might be a common reason why these problems happen.
One of the most hopeful parts of this study is that the damaged cells didn’t die. This means it might be possible to fix them. To test this idea, the team gave the mice a drug called ISRIB, which blocks the stress signal caused by damaged mitochondria.
After four weeks of treatment, the β-cells started making insulin again, and the mice’s blood sugar levels went back to normal.
Dr. Soleimanpour said this study might explain one of the key reasons why β-cells fail in type 2 diabetes. More importantly, it shows that there might be a way to reverse the damage and restore the cells.
The team is now studying how this process works in more detail. They also want to test their ideas on human cells from people with diabetes. If their work is successful, it could lead to new treatments that focus on fixing the root cause of diabetes instead of just controlling its symptoms.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about diabetes and vitamin B12, and the right diet for people with type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat smart with diabetes, and turmeric and vitamin D: a duo for blood pressure control in diabetic patients.
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