Clearing Damaged Cells Out of the Body may Help Heal Diabetics' Blood Vessels

Ramping up one of the body's waste disposal system, called autophagy, can help heal the blood vessels of diabetics, reveals a new study.

Targeting autophagy may be a potential target for the treatment of vascular issues in Type 2 diabetic patients, reveals a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Experimental Physiology.

These complications are divided into microvascular (damage to small blood vessels) and macrovascular (damage to larger blood vessels)./

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‘Complications with blood vessels are major risk factors for morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. ’

Microvascular complications include damage to eyes which can lead to blindness, to kidneys which can lead to renal failure and to nerves leading to impotence and diabetic foot disorders (which lead to amputation)./

Autophagy is the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells. Impaired autophagy has been reported to be involved in Type 2 diabetes, but researchers weren't sure why./

This study, from researchers at the Yonsei University College of Medicine, is the first to demonstrate a protective role of autophagy stimulation in the vascular dysfunction of Type 2 diabetes. The researchers used mice that have similar features as human Type 2 diabetes and measured the diameter of small arteries, which is an indication of how healthy the arteries are./

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Soo-Kyoung Choi, first author of the study, said: "We are excited about these results because our study suggests that targeting autophagy could be a potential target for the treatment of vascular problems in Type 2 diabetic patients."

Source-Eurekalert

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