Surprise finding could lead to new avenues for effective control of Type 2 diabetes; metabolic functions targeted.

Nov. 29, 2010 – Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have stumbled upon a new hormone benefit that reduces the effects of Type 2 diabetes in the laboratory. The study appears this month in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

While studying the effect on cardiovascular disease of a thyroid hormone known as T3, Zhongjie Sun and his research team at the OU Health Sciences Center noticed something unusual. Along with the expected outcome with heart stress in laboratory models, the hormone improved insulin sensitivity, normalized glucose levels, helped the kidneys and increased beta cell function – a major factor in the development of diabetes.

“We never expected we’d be doing diabetes studies. We’re cardiovascular guys. It was totally unexpected,” said Sun, Ph.D., principal investigator on the project and an associate professor of physiology at the OU College of Medicine. “This finding may open a new avenue for effective control of Type 2 diabetes.”

Download the reseach paper

Researchers are now looking at the molecular mechanism that allows the hormone to lower blood sugar levels. At the same time, they hope to partner with physicians to begin a clinical trial to see if the hormone, which already is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as safe for humans, will produce the same effects in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

“We’re not saying all patients need to be treated with thyroid hormone. It will be up to the doctors to work with patients and determine if it will help on an individual basis,” Sun said. “However, these are important studies and could have a significant impact for the millions of people with Type 2 diabetes.”

The research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, and co-authored by Yi Lin, a research fellow in the OU College of Medicine.

In Attendance

Zhongjie Sun, M.D., Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Physiologist
OU Medicine