17 July DRC Researchers Describe A Novel Effect of A Heart Failure Medication to Reduce Diabetes Nerve Damage July 17, 2018 By The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center 0 Peripheral neuropathy affects more than 50% of patients with diabetes and about 30% of subjects with pre-diabetes. There is no completely effective treatment for this complication of diabetes. However, in a pre-clinical study conducted by Mark Yorek, PhD, Endocrinology & Metabolism Professor and member of the FOEDRC, his laboratory reported in the August issue of Diabetes, that a combination of sacubitril and valsartan, a combination drug known by the trade name as ENTRESTO, shows promise as a potential treatment for neurovascular complications and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Using a rat model, they evaluated six groups of the animals, three groups that remained on a control diet and three groups that received a high-fat diet for 8 weeks followed by streptozotocin to induce pancreatic islet damage leading to hyperglycemia (a model for late stage type 2 diabetes). The groups were then treated with either valsartan alone, a combination of sacubitril and valsartan or vehicle at either 4 or 16 weeks after hyperglycemia had been induced to model an early or late intervention. In addition to various biochemical measures, the groups were evaluated for readouts of diabetic vascular dysfunction assessed in blood vessels that supply the sciatic nerve and for multiple endpoints that indicate peripheral neuropathy. They found that the sacubitril/valsartan combination demonstrated greater efficacy in terms of improving vascular and neural function and was superior to valsartan alone. In the early intervention, the combination slowed the progress of vascular and neural deficits. With the late intervention design they found that the combination treatment stimulated restoration of vascular reactivity, motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities and sensitivity and regeneration of sensory nerves in skin and cornea. As a result, Dr. Yorek believes that there is a rationale to continue studies with the combination as a potential therapy for diabetic neuropathy, particularly in the light of the fact that this drug has already received approval from the FDA for the treatment of heart failure. Related Articles How Diabetes Harms The Heart Study in mice involving FOEDRC researchers, reveals heart-damaging pathway triggered by insulin, identifies possible drug targets to prevent or treat heart failure. Diabetes is hard on the heart. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes, and risk for heart failure—where the heart can’t pump enough blood—is two to three times higher in men and up to five times higher in women with diabetes compared to people without diabetes. DRC Researchers Publish Major Breakthrough In Understanding How Diabetes Induces Eye Damage In the retina, diabetes damages nerves before it damages blood vessels. Diabetes is a major risk factor for severe vision loss and blindness. A condition known as retinal diabetic neuropathy causes visual impairment through the degeneration of small nerves (neurons) in light-sensitive tissue called the retina, which lines the back of the eye. American Diabetes Association Supports FOEDRC Researchers DRC Director's Report - January 2018 Three researchers from the FOEDRC received new grants from the American Diabetes Association for groundbreaking research. The ability of our members to receive these competitive awards is truly remarkable and underscores the quality and rigor of the research that is being conducted in the FOEDRC. There are few institutions that received multiple awards in this current round of ADA funding. The awards to Drs. Ling Yang, Rajan Sah and Adam Rauckhorst are summarized below. DRC Director's Report - January 2021 A recent study by a team of UI researchers led by E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, Director, FOEDRC discovered eating a ketogenic diet rescued mice from heart failure. The study, published in the November issue of the journal Nature Metabolism, was one of three companion papers from independent research teams that all point to the damaging effects of excess sugar (glucose) and its breakdown products on the heart. The UI study also revealed the potential to mitigate that damage by supplying the heart with alternate fuel sources in the form of high-fat diets. Given its need for a constant, reliable supply of energy, the heart is very flexible about the type of molecules it can burn for fuel. Most of the heart’s energy comes from metabolizing fatty acids, but heart cells can also burn glucose and lactate, and also ketones. DRC Director's Report - July 2020 The greatest risks to long-term health in people with diabetes arise from diabetic complications, particularly cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanisms by which the metabolic changes associated with type 2 diabetes like insulin resistance increases the risk of heart failure are less understood. In a recent publication in JCI Insight, E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, and other members of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center in collaboration with other institutions, have uncovered an important molecular link between diabetes and heart failure. A Vitamin For Diabetes And Its Complications? Prediabetes, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and diabetes that is complicated by nerve damage (neuropathy) are increasingly common conditions worldwide. These conditions are the result of progressive problems in metabolism. Prediabetes and T2D are characterized by increasing levels of blood sugar and circulating fats (lipids) in conjunction with insulin resistance. Many prediabetics and half of T2D patients develop progressive damage to their nerves that can be painful or lead to a loss of sensation. Diabetic neuropathy can lead to loss of limbs and is severely debilitating. We know that weight management and keeping active are among the most important components for preventing these conditions and arresting their progression. However, scientists are always on the lookout for healthy ingredients that can help people control their weight, improve their blood glucose control, and help their nerves stay healthy. Recent research at the University of Iowa, supported by the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC), suggests that an over-the-counter vitamin supplement called nicotinamide riboside (NR) may do just that. Showing 0 Comment Comments are closed.