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Biotech / Medical : Regeneron Pharmaceuticals -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Miljenko Zuanic who wrote (504)	1/20/2001 4:18:17 PM
From: Miljenko Zuanic	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3557

On more endocrine hormone on-line. It does point out how important is to treat clinical obesity early, before diabetes or other endocrine/cardiovascular symptoms develop and effects people health. Is it easy to prevent or treat? New Hormone May Link Obesity to Diabetes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Jan 18 - Using a murine model, Pennsylvania investigators have identified a fat cell-secreted hormone, which they named resistin (for resistance), that causes insulin resistance similar to what is seen in type II diabetic patients. Dr. Mitchell A. Lazar and colleagues, from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, screened for genes that are present during fat cell differentiation but downregulated in mature fat cells exposed to the antidiabetic thiazolidinedione class of drugs. From this search, they discovered resistin. In the animal model, the authors found that circulating levels of resistin were decreased when the anti-diabetic drug rosiglitazone was given. Normal mice treated with a recombinant form of resistin had impaired glucose tolerance and insulin action. Mice with genetic and diet-induced forms of obesity demonstrated elevated levels of resistin. In addition, in mice with diet-induced obesity, antibodies against resistin improved blood sugar levels and insulin action, the researchers state in the January 18th issue of Nature. In vitro adipocyte analysis revealed that resistin treatment impaired glucose uptake, and neutralization of the hormone enhanced uptake, the investigators report. Resistin is "a strong candidate to explain the anti-diabetic effects of thiazolidinediones, as well as a mechanism by which excess adiposity leads to insulin resistance," the authors propose. "If the regulation and properties of human resistin are similar to those of mouse resistin," potential anti-diabetic therapies "could include reduction of serum resistin level, neutralization of the biological activity of circulating resistin, and/or antagonism of resistin action directed against the cellular receptor(s)," Dr. Lazar's team concludes. Nature 2001;409:307-312.