TOMSK, Jun 20 – RIA Tomsk. Scientists of Tomsk State University (TSU) and one of Europe’s largest medical universities – Karolinska
Institute (Sweden), received a grant of the Russian Science Foundation to study
metabolic disorders that lead to the development of type 2 diabetes. They will
conduct experiments with mice, whose age corresponds to 50-80 years of human
life.
How "elderly" mice can help science, RIA Tomsk was told by Leonid
Kapilevich, the head of the department of the TSU Faculty of Physical
Education.
Find the "switch"
"The project’s scientific supervisor – is Alexander V. Chibalin from
Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, a renowned specialist in skeletal muscle
physiology. Together with him we received a three-year grant with an annual
funding of 6 million rubles. All studies will be conducted at the TSU base", – says Kapilevich.
According to the TSU website, out of 100% of patients with diabetes almost
90% are have the second type. In this form, the patient produces insulin, but
the body cannot use it effectively. Diabetes of the second type develops slowly
and imperceptibly, many people are diagnosed only after the onset of
complications.
Tomsk scientists with the colleague from Sweden intend to find a
"switch" that increases or decreases the sensitivity of cells to insulin,
including at physical exercise. For this, physiologists will model this disease
in mice. Such an experiment will be conducted for the first time in rodents,
whose age corresponds to 50-80 years of human life.
"Scientists rarely work with mice of this age, most often mice at the age of
one or two months help science", – comments Kapilevich. – We need mice at the
age of eight to ten months. They are raised for us in the vivarium of the
Research Institute of Pharmacology. By September, we will get mice and start
research".
Schedule training
Kapilevich explains that this project was preceded by another study: in
2018, scientists modeled diabetes mellitus in laboratory mice and created a
kind of treadmill for daily rodents training. As a result, scientists found
that the group that ran in the morning had a lower glucose level, and in mice
who were training in the evening, – insulin "fell" faster.
"Exercise helps with diabetes mellitus – this is a well-known fact. The
main task – is to understand what is happening at the molecular level. It is
unknown to scientists. It is necessary to find out how muscles change, how
ability of the heart is restored and other processes affecting quality of
life", – the TSU scientist said.
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According to the press service of the university, during the project will be
also examined the relationship between metabolic syndrome and sarcopenia. The
obtained data will help to develop new approaches to the treatment of these
ailments and to improve the quality of life of people of pre-retirement and
elderly age.
As it is specified on the website of the university, at present, the
treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus is carried out mainly due to a strict
diet, physical activity and some drugs that lower sugar. Fundamental data, to
which research of TSU scientists is aimed, can be used to create fundamentally
new drugs that stimulate the launch of the natural utilization of sugar in the
patient's body.