Image of fat accumulation in the liver. “Understanding how the liver is involved in the very early stages of Type 1 diabetes may help us better understand how it occurs and point to new possibilities for treatments,” said Dr. Scott, Affiliate Investigator, The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa.Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease often diagnosed in children and young adults, but the disease process probably begins much earlier. Dr. Fraser Scott’s team conducted one of the first studies to identify very early defects in the liver of prediabetic animals. The liver plays a major role in both metabolism and defending the body from disease. The researchers found a greater accumulation of fat in the livers of prediabetic mice and rats compared with controls. A healthy liver should contain little fat. The team also saw fewer of specialized immune cells, called M2 macrophages, in the liver. This suggests that fat accumulation in the liver could be a common early feature in development of Type 1 diabetes, affecting both metabolism and the immune system. More research is needed to better define the role of the liver in the development of Type 1 diabetes.
“Understanding how the liver is involved in the very early stages of Type 1 diabetes may help us better understand how it occurs and point to new possibilities for treatments,” said Dr. Scott, Affiliate Investigator, The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa.
Source : Scientific Reports
Authors: D. Serrano, J. A. Crookshank, B. S. Morgan, R. W. Mueller, M.-F. Paré, L. Marandi, P. Poussier & F. W. Scott.
Funders : Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Cure Diabetes. Research at The Ottawa Hospital is possible because of generous donations to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation
Core Resources : University of Ottawa CBIAcore, Histology Core
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