DOI: 10.2337/dc08-s243 © 2008 by the American Diabetes Association
Islet Inflammation in Type 2 DiabetesFrom metabolic stress to therapyFrom the Clinic of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Address correspondence and reprint requests to Marc Y. Donath, MD, Clinic of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Medicine, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland. E-mail: marc.donath{at}usz.ch Decreases in both mass and secretory function of insulin-producing β-cells contribute to the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes. The histology of islets from patients with type 2 diabetes displays an inflammatory process characterized by the presence of cytokines, apoptotic cells, immune cell infiltration, amyloid deposits, and eventually fibrosis. This inflammatory process is probably the combined consequence of dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and increased circulating adipokines. Therefore, modulation of intra-islet inflammatory mediators, in particular interleukin-1β, appears as a promising therapeutic approach.
Abbreviations: IL, interleukin KATP channel, ATP-sensitive K+ channel
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