Endocrine Abstracts

Patients with diabetes are well aware that their risk of long-term complications is minimised by the maintenance of near-normoglycaemia. Intensive therapy regimens designed to achieve this in people with insulin deficient diabetes (Type 1 and late Type2) require detailed understanding of the actions of insulin preparations and their interaction with food and daily activities, multiple daily injections and frequent self monitoring of blood glucose concentrations. There is the e...

ObjectivePlant-derived extracts have long been used to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but their effects have not been rigorously investigated at the cellular level in vitro. The aims of the current study were to determine the effects of a virgin isolate of Gymnema sylvestre (GS), designated OSA, on pancreatic β-cell function.Materials and MethodsCell viability was measured by Trypan...

Objective: The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) is expressed on many different cell types other than those involved in the systemic regulation of plasma calcium. We have demonstrated previously that insulin-producing beta cells express the CaR. In this study we have used a calcimimetic CaR agonist (A568) to investigate the effects of CaR activation on beta cell function.Methods: Experiments used the insulin secreting MIN6 cell line or isolate...