IL-13 improves beta-cell survival and protects against IL-1beta-induced beta-cell death.

Objectives: IL-13 is a cytokine classically produced by anti-inflammatory T-helper-2 lymphocytes; it is decreased in the circulation of type 2 diabetic patients and impacts positively on liver and skeletal muscle. Although IL-13 can exert positive effects on beta-cell lines, its impact and mode of action on primary beta-cell function and survival remain largely unexplored.

Methods: Beta-cells were cultured for 48 h in the presence of IL-13 alone or in combination with IL-1β or cytokine cocktail (IL-1β, IFNγ, TNFα).

Circulating Follistatin Is Liver-Derived and Regulated by the Glucagon-to-Insulin Ratio.

Context: Follistatin is a plasma protein recently reported to increase under conditions with negative energy balance, such as exercise and fasting in humans. Currently, the perception is that circulating follistatin is a result of para/autocrine actions from various tissues. The large and acute increase in circulating follistatin in response to exercise suggests that it may function as an endocrine signal.