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Hibernating bears may hold clues to diabetes treatment

Hibernating bears may hold clues to diabetes treatment

 


When humans consume tens of thousands of calories a day, bloat, and move very little for months, the health consequences can be devastating. Scientists have long puzzled why this same behavior doesn’t lead to diabetes. grizzly bear-until now.

By giving honey water Hibernating Researchers at Washington State University have found genetic clues to how these bruins can control their bodies. insulinTheir results—was announced in eye science— could lead to better diabetes care for people.

Insulin is a hormone found in most mammals that regulates blood sugar levels in the body, for example, by telling liver, muscle, and fat cells to absorb blood sugar for energy. But when too much blood sugar enters the bloodstream, over time the cells become unresponsive and become insulin resistant.this is Major cause type 2 diabetes, A disease that can lead to heart attack, stroke, and blindness. About 1 in 10 Americans, or about 37 million people have type 2 diabetes. But unlike humans, bears can control their insulin resistance in an uncanny way that they flip on and off like a switch.

To find out how, the researchers collected serum from six captive grizzly bears between the ages of 5 and 13. WSU Bear Center, a research facility in Pullman, Washington. They also collected bear adipose tissue that they used to grow cell cultures in the lab. “This gives us a way to test things that we couldn’t do with a full-grown bear,” said study co-authors. Blair PerryPostdoctoral Fellow at the University. (Read how bottlenose dolphins can switch diabetes on and off.)

The experiment helped the team narrow down the secrets of bears to controlling insulin: Eight key proteins that appear to have unique roles in bear biology and are responsible for secreting insulin during hibernation. Work independently or together to regulate.

Humans share most of their genes with bears, so understanding the role of these eight proteins could help scientists learn more about insulin resistance in humans, Perry says. .

bear season

In the western United States, Canada, and parts of Alaska, grizzly bears go through three phases of activity during the year: active, feeding, and hibernating. In spring and summer, giant mammals spend their time foraging, mating, and raising young. And in the fall, animals transition into binge eating, where “almost all of their energy is spent eating as much as they can,” says Perry. (Read about the fascinating ways animals prepare for fall.)

During this time, bears burn up to 20,000 calories a day and gain up to 8 pounds each day in preparation for the coming winter.

When bears begin hibernation in early winter, they rely on fat deposits to survive the cold months. Hibernation is “more than just deep sleep,” says Perry. “Many physiological changes allow bears to survive this long winter without food.”

Hibernating bears undergo a period of wakefulness during which they move around but eat nothing. When the researchers woke up, the research team fed them honey water (a favorite treat) for two weeks before taking blood samples. The team had already taken blood samples from the same bear in spring and summer.

Then, in the lab, researchers combined different sera with different types of cell cultures. For example, they mixed cell cultures of adipose tissue from hibernating bears with serum from active bears. This allowed the team to see what genetic changes occur within the cells.

Of all the combinations studied, serum taken from honey-fed hibernating bears was most helpful in narrowing down eight key proteins involved in regulating insulin sensitivity and resistance. (You can read more about how a bear’s body changes during hibernation here.)

For bear biologist Mike Sawaya Sinopar Wildlife Research Associates Although I wasn’t involved in the study, the big takeaway from this “fascinating study” is how much does hibernation in bears affect human health.

“Identifying these eight proteins is an important step,” he said, adding that identifying “what’s turned on and off” when bears alter insulin resistance is also important. he says.

Are you one step closer to diabetes prevention?

Insulin resistance and its effects are well understood, but much remains to be learned about its genetics. An annual study of how bears enter and exit insulin resistance gives scientists a “unique opportunity” to better understand this, Perry added. (Learn about the link between COVID-19 and the development of diabetes.)

For example, devising ways to manipulate these eight proteins in humans could potentially “reverse insulin resistance in humans,” says Perry. Such medications and interventions are a long way off, but “we are getting there,” he says.

Sawatani agrees that this is “definitely another piece of the puzzle” and hopes that unlocking the mysteries of bear physiology will help prevent diabetes.

Future studies would like to investigate exactly how these specific proteins turn off insulin resistance in bears.

Sources

1/ https://Google.com/

2/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/hibernating-bears-could-hold-a-clue-to-treating-diabetes

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