Researchers have discovered an enzyme capable of regulating excess sugar. A promising avenue in the treatment of diabetes and obesity.
It’s a discovery that could play a major role in the management of type 2 diabetes and obesity. A team of researchers from the University of Montreal (Canada) has discovered an enzyme that neutralizes the toxic effects of excess sugar in the body, by regulating the use of glucose and lipids by different organs. This work was published Monday in the PNAS.
Novelty in mammals
This enzyme, called glycerol-3-phosphate-phosphatase (G3PP), would indeed play a key role in eliminating the effects of excess sugar. Until now, its existence in mammalian cells was not known.
According to researchers, when glucose is abnormally high in the body, glucose-derived glycerol-3-phosphate reaches excessive levels in cells, which can cause tissue damage.
Molecules capable of activating G3PP?
“We found that G3PP can break down much of this excess glycerol-3-phosphate and divert it from the cell, so that the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells and various organs are protected from the toxic effects of a high level of glucose, ”explains Marc Prentki, professor at the University of Montreal.
From this discovery, the researchers want to create “small molecules capable of activating the G3PP enzyme”. The experiment, the effectiveness of which remains to be demonstrated, will be carried out on animals. According to the authors, this work offers a new potential therapeutic target against obesity, diabetes or even metabolic syndrome.
.
