Diabetes drug, Metformin, shows promise as treatment for lupus! Could it be?
I came across this article about a possible new drug to treat lupus. Looks and sounds pretty promising. Read the full article here, and read an excerpt below:
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A common diabetes drug could be part of a two-pronged treatment to reverse the effects of lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease harmful to body tissue that often causes pain and extreme fatigue, researchers reported on Wednesday....In lupus, a person's antibodies, which normally fight against bacteria and viruses, instead attack healthy tissue.
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Diabetes drug shows promise treating lupus - U.S. researchers
ORLANDO, Fla.
A common diabetes drug could be part of a two-pronged treatment to reverse the effects of lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease harmful to body tissue that often causes pain and extreme fatigue, researchers reported on Wednesday....In lupus, a person's antibodies, which normally fight against bacteria and viruses, instead attack healthy tissue.
The white blood cells secreting the antibodies feed mostly on blood sugars called glucose, said lead researcher Laurence Morel, a pathology and immunology specialist at the University of Florida medical school.
Her tests found that treatment with the first-line type 2 diabetes drug metformin - in combination with a glucose inhibitor - slowed the metabolism of the white blood cells. They returned them to normal functioning, Morel said.
The testing used white blood cells from patients with lupus, as well as mice, Morel said.
Morel said she got the idea from research in which cancer was treated successfully by limiting the metabolism of cancer cells. From the many existing drugs inhibiting metabolism, Morel said she picked two that had good results in mouth cancer.
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Read the rest of the article here, but my fingers are crossed. Wouldn't this be a great way to start the year?!
Comments
Thank you.