It is called “6bk”. Behind this uninviting name, however, hides a small molecule that could well give rise to new treatments against type 2 diabetes.
In France, they are 2 million to be affected by this pathology. It is a disease characterized by an excessively high blood sugar level: in diabetics, insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, does not play its role in regulating blood sugar. The risk ? Cardiovascular dysfunction, kidney failure, even loss of sight.
Treatment for type 2 diabetes has so far consisted of daily insulin injections for the sick. But a recent study published in the scientific journal Nature could well change things: researchers have just discovered a new molecule, called 6bk, which could be important in the context of anti-diabetic treatments. His role ? Block the action of the IDE (for insulin-degrating enzyme), an enzyme that blocks the action of insulin and therefore prevents it from regulating blood sugar.
Tested on mice, this molecule has been shown to be effective: rodents with type 2 diabetes were offered a dose of 6bk, then a dose of sugar. Result: unblocked, their insulin correctly played its role of glycemic regulator …
A discovery which, in the long term, could give birth to new treatments against type 2 diabetes.
Diabetics, how are you coping with your treatment? Come discuss in the forum !
