Inhibition of hyaluronan synthesis prevents β-cell loss in obesity-associated type 2 diabetes

Pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and death are central to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We identified a novel role for the inflammatory extracellular matrix polymer hyaluronan (HA) in this pathophysiology. Low concentrations of HA were present in healthy pancreatic islets. However, HA substantially accumulated in cadaveric islets of T2D patients and islets of the db/db mouse model of T2D in response to hyperglycemia. Treatment with 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), an inhibitor of HA synthesis, or the deletion of the main HA receptor CD44, preserved glycemic control and insulin concentrations in db/db mice despite ongoing weight gain, indicating a critical role for this pathway in T2D pathogenesis. 4-MU treatment and the deletion of CD44 likewise preserved glycemic control in other settings of β-cell injury including streptozotocin treatment and islet transplantation. Mechanistically, we found that 4-MU increased the expression of the apoptosis inhibitor survivin, a downstream transcriptional target of CD44 dependent on HA/CD44 signaling, on β-cells such that caspase 3 activation did not result in β-cell apoptosis. These data indicated a role for HA accumulation in diabetes pathogenesis and suggested that it may be a viable target to ameliorate β-cell loss in T2D. These data are particularly exciting, because 4-MU is already an approved drug (also known as hymecromone), which could accelerate translation of these findings to clinical studies.