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Resveratrol induces insulin gene expression in mouse pancreatic α-cells
Sherwin Xie1, Rohit Anthony Sinha1, Brijesh K Singh1
1Laboratory of Hormonal Regulation, Program of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, Singapore.
Background:
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are characterized by loss of β-cells; therefore, β-cell regeneration has become one of the primary approaches to diabetes therapy. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound, has been shown to improve glycaemic control in diabetic patients, but its action on pancreatic α-cells is not well understood.
Findings:
Using mouse α-cells (αTC9), we showed that resveratrol induces expression of pancreatic β-cell genes such as Pdx1 and Ins2 in a SirT1-dependent manner. The mRNA and protein levels of insulin were further increased by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition.
Conclusion:
In summary, we provide new mechanistic insight into the anti-diabetic action of resveratrol through its ability to express β-cell genes in α-cells.
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