Amylin: history and overview

The presence of amyloid deposits in the pancreas was first described at the beginning of the 20th century. However, it was not until 1987 that the structure of the amylin molecule was identified. Amylin is a 37-amino-acid peptide hormone that is co-secreted with insulin by the pancreatic beta-cells in response to a nutrient stimulus. It is deficient in patients with Type 1 diabetes and elevated in patients in the early stages of Type 2 diabetes, a condition which is characterized by hyperinsulinaemia. Elevation of plasma amylin levels has also been described in patients with impaired glucose tolerance, obese subjects and in pregnant women with both normal glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes mellitus. However, it appears that deficiencies of amylin secretion appear before those of insulin in patients in the later stages of Type 2 diabetes. Early experimental studies suggested that amylin inhibits basal insulin secretion, and induces insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, leading to the hypothesis that it has a role in the aetiology of Type 2 diabetes. However, a number of more recent experimental studies have indicated that amylin is a third active pancreatic islet hormone that works with insulin and glucagon to maintain glucose homeostasis. Amylin appears to regulate glucose inflow to the circulation by influencing the rate of gastric emptying, and thus the rate at which meal-derived glucose enters the system, and also by inhibiting glucose release and hepatic glucose production in the postprandial period.