The role of vitamin A in the pathogenesis of diabetes

Researchers Albert Salehi explained that human cells do not have redundant surface receptors These receptors have certain purposes However, in many cases, we do not know their functions These receptors are often called "orphan" receptors The researchers found that islet β cell surface can express a receptor specifically for vitamin A, which may help researchers understand the molecular mechanism of the interaction between cell surface receptor and vitamin A The researchers believe that vitamin A may play an important role in the development of β cells in the early stage of life under special circumstances, and also play a very important role in other life stages of an individual, especially in the pathological state, such as inflammatory disease Researcher Albert Salehi said that we mapped 220 different receptors on the surface of β cell, but the characteristics of these receptors are not clear at present However, we found that the cell surface can express the receptor molecules of vitamin A In order to study the role of vitamins in the pathogenesis of diabetes, the researchers studied the β cells from non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic mice By partially blocking the function of vitamin A receptor, and using sugar to induce cells, the researchers found that cells have the ability to start to secrete insulin At the same time, the researchers also found that in the absence of vitamin A, the tolerance of β cells to inflammation will decline, and when there is a complete absence, the cells will die This study is very important for researchers to clarify the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, especially in the early stage of life when β cells can not fully develop In animal experiments, researchers found that newborn mice need vitamin A to develop β cells in a normal way Of course, the same situation often happens in human body in many cases Children also need to absorb necessary vitamin A in their diet to maintain their health (http:// Vitamin A is mainly found in viscera and dairy products In Sweden, milk is rich in vitamin A However, there seems to be no lack of vitamin A in people who eat standardized diet, but vegetarians seem to need to pay attention to this problem Of course, too much vitamin A is also harmful, which will lead to osteoporosis; however, it seems that there is no health risk through excessive intake of vitamin A through food, the risk mainly comes from dietary supplements; lack of vitamin A often damages vision, and reduces the elasticity of skin and mucous membrane Based on the newly discovered receptors on the surface of vitamin A cells, when researchers are developing diabetes therapy, they may consider the risk of excessive intake of vitamin A.