Study finds collagen may worsen Type 2 diabetes, according to IIT Bombay researchers

Researchers from IIT Bombay have found that collagen I, a structural protein in the body, may worsen Type 2 diabetes by aiding in the formation of harmful clumps of the hormone amylin in the pancreas. This discovery deepens our understanding of the disease progression and treatment challenges.

In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin and amylin. While insulin regulates blood sugar, excess amylin can fold improperly and create sticky clumps that harm insulin-producing β-cells. The study revealed that collagen I in diabetic tissue acts as a scaffold that accelerates amylin clumping, making it more toxic and difficult for the body to eliminate.

The research team utilized advanced lab techniques such as surface plasmon resonance, atomic force microscopy, thioflavin T fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy to demonstrate how collagen I speeds up amylin aggregation. Computer simulations, along with experiments on diabetic mice and human tissue, further supported this connection.

Experiments on lab-grown β-cells indicated that the presence of both amylin and collagen increased cellular stress, raised death rates, and reduced insulin production. This underscores the significance of the cellular environment in addition to internal processes. Targeting the amylin-collagen interaction could lead to more effective diabetes treatments. The team is now working on models using cryo-electron microscopy and investigating methods to aid pancreas repair with 3D scaffolds.

The study received funding from the Wadhwani Research Centre for Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, and national research organizations including the Department of Biotechnology.

According to the source: The Hindu.