IL-36 can control Blood Sugar Level

Release Date: 04-Oct-2019

According to the findings of a new research published in the Journal of Nature Communications, the patients with high levels of the protein, IL-36 cytokines, were found to have lower blood sugar levels, in the case of type 2 Diabetes. It shows that implying that those proteins are associated with better control of the patient's blood sugar levels and their disease. Researchers have linked the defensive effects of these proteins with their ability to alter the make-up of the intestinal microbiome.

The study was performed by the scientists from the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin. It was the first time when a family of proteins is discovered, which is associated with lower blood sugar levels among obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Their research was published on 9^th September, 2019. The IL-36 cytokines are members of a larger family of proteins known as the interleukin-1 family which have emerged as central players in the development of obesity related disease.

Obesity is emerging as a global problem that causes an increased level of fatty acids and inflammation leading to insulin resistance. When the body is resistant to the insulin, it causes a high build-up of glucose or blood sugar, ultimately leading to type 2 Diabetes. The current approaches of controlling the high prevalence of obesity driven disease are insufficient. According to the trinity research team, there is an urgent need to achieve a greater understanding of the mechanisms associated with obesity related diseases.

According to the Lead scientist Dr. Patrick Walsh from the School of Medicine, Trinity, “this study has added to a substantial body of work which has revealed the important function of the broader interleukin-1 family as mediators of metabolic health and disease. Our findings have opened the door to a deeper investigation of how IL-36 cytokines impact on the development of such diseases in humans and whether this can be exploited for the better treatment of patients”