New treatments envisioned for diabetes sufferers
New research results are offering renewed hope for sufferers of diabetes. EU-funded researchers have discovered that diabetics have a receptor on the surface of their cells that prevents wounds and ulcers from healing properly and so can ultimately lead to amputations. The findings could lead to new treatments for the vascular problems commonly associated with diabetes. Diabetes is a major problem around the world. In Europe alone, it is a leading cause of death with over 25 million people affected by this chronic disease. Sufferers often find themselves facing costly complications such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation. Amputations may occur following serious complications such as gangrene and skin ulcers which occur due to a restriction of blood supply to and the reduced healing capacity of the affected areas. Legs and feet are most commonly affected. Once the blood supply is obstructed, the tissue is unable to heal itself by growing new blood vessels, and if gangrenous wounds fail to heal, amputation may be the only option. Dr Costanza Emanueli from Bristol University in the UK and her research group discovered a cellular receptor which causes a malfunction in the cells lining the blood vessels which subsequently prevents the tissue from healing itself. 'The data reveal that by suppressing the action of one particular gene, we can improve recovery of tissues following inadequate blood flow, and this opens up new avenues for its use to combat diabetes-induced vascular disease,' commented Dr Emanueli. The gene in question was the p75NTR receptor, which until now had not been comprehensively characterised. The research team noticed that in healthy blood vessels, the cells that line the blood vessels do not possess the p75NTR receptor, and the development of new blood vessels and restoration of the obstructed blood supply and wound healing is rapid. However, diabetes causes the cells lining the blood vessels to produce the p75NTR receptor, and prevents the growth of new blood vessels necessary for blood supply and healing of damaged tissue. The research team discovered that if they put the receptor gene into healthy blood vessel cells, the cells became dysfunctional. They also found that if they injected the gene into healthy muscle and then restricted blood supply, it impaired the healing process of the injury, a process identical to that seen in diabetes. According to Dr Emanueli, 'Our findings demonstrate the importance of understanding the individual factors responsible for such diabetes-induced complications.' The research was in part financed by the European Vascular Genomics Network of Excellence (EVGN), which is funded to the tune of ¿9 million from the 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). Their article, 'Neurotrophin p75 Receptor (p75NTR) promotes endothelial cell apoptosis and inhibits angiogenesis', was published online in the journal Circulation Research.