製造精液的睪丸細胞也能製造胰島素

製造精液的細胞可以治療老鼠糖尿病

華盛頓特區喬治鎮大學醫學中心的研究人員成功將平常是製造精液的人類細胞刺激成可以製造胰島素。當他們將細胞植入老鼠體內時，他們發現1型糖尿病得到些許治療。 這種糖尿病是一種自身免疫疾病，該疾病會導致身體因錯誤判斷而攻擊並消滅胰臟裡可以製造胰島素的Beta細胞。

研究人員從已經往生的器官捐贈者的睪丸中萃取出精原細胞。然後研究人員將精原放入特殊的媒介裡，一旦轉變成可以製造胰島素的細胞之後，研究人員就將這些細胞植入老鼠體內。 結果顯示老鼠體內的血糖指數大約降低了一個星期，換言之，老鼠的糖尿病暫時得到痊癒。

唯一令人擔憂的副作用就是一種名叫畸胎瘤的腫瘤。另一個限制就是這種結果只會發生在男性體內，不會發生在女性體內。 1型糖尿病會摧毀Beta 和 Alpha細胞，所以研究人員也擔心如果他們只替換可以製造胰島素的Beta細胞，而非 alpha 細胞 (製造胰高血糖激素的細胞)，這有可能會引起同樣足以致命的低血糖症狀。

(Health) Sperm Producing Cells Help Cure Diabetes in Mice

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center, in Washington D.C. have been able to prod human cells that normally produce sperm to make insulin instead. After transplanting the cells into mice, they were found to briefly cure type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

The researchers used spermatogonial cells, extracted from the testicles of deceased human organ donors. The researchers put them into a special media, and once the cells were coaxed into becoming insulin-producing cells, the researchers transplanted them into the mice. The results were that the blood sugar levels in the mice were reduced for about a week, essentially curing the rodents diabetes for a brief time.

The only side effect of concern is a certain type of tumor called a teratoma. Another limitation is that these results can only be produced in men and not women. Both beta and alpha cells are destroyed in people with type 1 diabetes, so the researchers are also concerned that if they only replace insulin-producing beta cells, and not alpha cells (cells that produce glucagon), there is a potential of causing low blood sugar levels, which can also be deadly.

http://n.yam.com/funday/garden/201012/20101215977423.html