AI Article Synopsis
- Insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells is triggered by various stimuli, with glucose being the primary one, and understanding this process is important for discovering new treatments.
- A study found that a specific component of Naja kaouthia snake venom, called cardiotoxin-I (CTX-I), can stimulate insulin release from pancreatic cells even without glucose, while not harming the cells.
- CTX-I's unique properties, such as not causing hemolysis or vasoconstriction, suggest it could be a valuable tool for researching β-cell function and developing new therapies.
Article Abstract
Insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells is a complex process, involving the integration and interaction of multiple external and internal stimuli, in which glucose plays a major role. Understanding the physiology leading to insulin release is a crucial step toward the identification of new targets. In this study, we evaluated the presence of insulinotropic metabolites in Naja kaouthia snake venom. Only one fraction, identified as cardiotoxin-I (CTX-I) was able to induce insulin secretion from INS-1E cells without affecting cell viability and integrity, as assessed by MTT and LDH assays. Interestingly, CTX-I was also able to stimulate insulin secretion from INS-1E cells even in the absence of glucose. Although cardiotoxins have been characterized as potent hemolytic agents and vasoconstrictors, CTX-I was unable to induce direct hemolysis of human erythrocytes or to induce potent vasoconstriction. As such, this newly identified insulin-releasing toxin will surely enrich the pool of existing tools to study β-cell physiology or even open a new therapeutic avenue.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cbic.201200081 | DOI Listing |
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