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Stem cell scientists in Canada have collaborated with biotechnology industries to successfully reverse diabetes mellitus in mice by means of stem cell treatments. This is certainly a medical breakthrough that might lead to treatments in human patients.
The lead researcher, Timothy Kieffer, who is a professor at the University of British Columbia, and scientist from the New Jersey-based company showed that stem cell transplants can restore insulin production and reverse diabetes mellitus in mice.
Beta cells reside in an organ called the pancreas, which is behind the stomach. The pancreas has an “exocrine” function, which means that it secretes materials such as digestive enzymes and bicarbonate ions into a duct, and an endocrine function, which means that it secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream. The exocrine function of the pancreas is accomplished by clusters of cells known as “acinar cells.” Acinar cells cluster around a tiny branch of the pancreatic duct, and they secrete digestive enzymes and bicarbonate ions into the pancreatic duct, which are released into the upper portion of the small intestine (duodenum). These enzymes degrade fats, proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates in the small intestine, which prepares the complex molecules in food for digestion. The endocrine functions are carried out by islands of cells dispersed throughout the pancreas that are away from the pancreatic duct, but clustered around blood vessels. These “pancreatic islets” as theyare called secrete hormones that regulate the metabolism of food-derived molecules in our bodies.
There are five types of cells in pancreatic islets: alpha cells, beta cells, delta cells, epsilon cells and PP cells. Alpha cells secrete a hormone called glucagon, which mobilizes store sugar stores in the body and releases them into the bloodstream, this raising blood sugar levels. Beta cells secrete insulin, which stimulates the uptake and metabolism of bloodstream sugar, thus lowering blood sugar levels. Delta cells secrete somatostatin, which regulates growth hormone release by the anterior pituitary, but also affects the release of many hormones in the digestive system and inhibits the release of glucagon and insulin. The epsilon cells secrete a hormone called ghrelin, which is a potent appetite stimulant. The PP cells secrete PP or pancreatic peptide, which helps the pancreas to self-regulate its secretory activities, both exocrine and endocrine.
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