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In First Human Trial, Insulin Shows Ability To Reduce Components That Inflame Vessel Walls

Date:
August 9, 2001
Source:
University At Buffalo
Summary:
Insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes, also may have potential as a treatment for heart disease, a study conducted by endocrinologists at the University at Buffalo has shown.
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BUFFALO, N.Y. - Insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes, also may have potential as a treatment for heart disease, a study conducted by endocrinologists at the University at Buffalo has shown.

The research shows for the first time that insulin produces an anti-inflammatory effect by decreasing concentrations of certain pro-inflammatory components in the bloodstream and increasing concentrations of components that help prevent inflammation and damage to cells lining blood vessels walls.

The study appeared in the July issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

"This is a brand new property of insulin," said Paresh Dandona, M.D., UB associate professor of medicine and director of Kaleida Health's Diabetes-Endocrinology Center of Western New York.

"It is the first study of insulin's anti-inflammatory effect in humans and the results are clear. Since atherosclerosis is the result of an inflammation of the vessel wall, we believe insulin will prove to be anti-atherosclerotic in the long run.

"At the very least, these results should indicate to physicians that they should not be reluctant to prescribe insulin when it is indicated for fear that it may increase the risk of heart attack. It appears insulin has just the opposite effect. It may reduce the risk of heart attack."

Dandona and colleagues, in earlier laboratory-based research, had shown that insulin helps vessels to dilate by increasing the release of nitric oxide, a known vasodilator, and increasing expression of nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that makes nitric oxide.

They also had shown that troglitazone, a substance that makes cells more sensitive to insulin, has anti-inflammatory effects, and that insulin decreased the expression of a component called intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), known to promote inflammation in the lining of the arteries that has been associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease.

These results appeared to suggest that insulin may help protect against card


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Cite This Page:

University At Buffalo. "In First Human Trial, Insulin Shows Ability To Reduce Components That Inflame Vessel Walls." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 August 2001. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010809071400.htm>.
University At Buffalo. (2001, August 9). In First Human Trial, Insulin Shows Ability To Reduce Components That Inflame Vessel Walls. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010809071400.htm
University At Buffalo. "In First Human Trial, Insulin Shows Ability To Reduce Components That Inflame Vessel Walls." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010809071400.htm (accessed March 27, 2024).

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