An unexpected find
Researchers from the University of Virginia found that patients taking long-term drugs for the treatment of HIV and hepatitis B, the risk of developing diabetes decreased by 33%. The risk reduction is associated with the mechanism of action of drugs, especially lamivudine, which increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin in human cell samples and in mouse models of type 2 diabetes.
The fact that the protective effect of lamivudine against the development of diabetes has been replicated in several databases in studies conducted by several institutions increases the reliability of the results.
About 500 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, and the number of patients is expected to increase in the coming years. Diabetes is associated with many chronic diseases, including heart disease, atherosclerosis, nerve damage, vision loss and the development of trophic ulcers. Therefore, scientists are desperately looking for ways to prevent and treat diabetes.
To determine whether drugs belonging to the group of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NIOT) are effective against diabetes, Jayakrishna Ambati and his colleagues analyzed five databases covering a diverse group of 128,861 patients with HIV-1 or hepatitis B. The group found that patients taking NIOT were more likely to develop diabetes by more than 30% lower. Based on their analysis, the researchers predict that the probability that NIOT will reduce the risk of diabetes by a third in clinical trials is 95%.
To better understand the results, the researchers studied the effect of lamivudine and two other analogues on human cell samples. All three proved effective, prompting scientists to conclude that the NIOT group as a whole is likely to help prevent diabetes.
It is noteworthy that the study revealed a link between diabetes and dysregulation of inflammasomes, which is associated with both Alzheimer's disease and macular degeneration.
The large scale of clinical data and the magnitude of the protective effect indicate that inhibition of inflammasomes is beneficial for humans. The data obtained should be confirmed in prospective clinical studies. The authors suggest that kamuvudins, which inhibit inflammasomes and are less toxic representatives of NIOT, will be effective not only in type 2 diabetes mellitus, but also in age-related macular degeneration and Alzheimer's disease.
Article by J.Ambati et al. Repurposing anti-inflammasome NRTIs for improving insulin sensitivity and reducing type 2 diabetes development is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Virginia: HIV Drugs Could Prevent Diabetes, Study Suggests.