Diabetes mellitus therapies aim to reduce disease complications, such as nephropathy, by achieving long-term blood glucose regulation, but actually doing so is difficult. A recent study by Sacramento and colleagues has applied electronic modulation of nerve activity in rodents as an approach to treat diabetes mellitus.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Tan, T. & Bloom, S. Gut hormones as therapeutic agents in treatment of diabetes and obesity. Curr. Opin. Pharmacol. 13, 996–1001 (2013).
Sacramento, J. F. et al. Bioelectronic modulation of carotid sinus nerve activity in the rat: a potential therapeutic approach for type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia 61, 700–710 (2018).
Almaraz, L., Gonzalez, C. & Obeso, A. Effects of high potassium on the release of [3H]dopamine from the cat carotid body in vitro. J. Physiol. 379, 293–307 (1986).
Alvarez-Buylla, R. & de Alvarez-Buylla, E. R. Carotid sinus receptors participate in glucose homeostasis. Respir. Physiol. 72, 347–359 (1988).
Joyner, M. J. et al. Role of the carotid body chemoreceptors in glucose homeostasis and thermoregulation in humans. J. Physiol. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP274354 (2018).
Pardal, R. & Lopez-Barneo, J. Low glucose-sensing cells in the carotid body. Nat. Neurosci. 5, 197–198 (2002).
Zhang, M., Buttigieg, J. & Nurse, C. A. Neurotransmitter mechanisms mediating low-glucose signalling in cocultures and fresh tissue slices of rat carotid body. J. Physiol. 578, 735–750 (2007).
Bin-Jaliah, I., Maskell, P. D. & Kumar, P. Indirect sensing of insulin-induced hypoglycaemia by the carotid body in the rat. J. Physiol. 556, 255–266 (2004).
Sacramento, J. F. et al. Functional abolition of carotid body activity restores insulin action and glucose homeostasis in rats: key roles for visceral adipose tissue and the liver. Diabetologia 60, 158–168 (2017).
Naslund, E. & Hellstrom, P. M. Appetite signaling: from gut peptides and enteric nerves to brain. Physiol. Behav. 92, 256–262 (2007).
Acknowledgements
S.A.S. is supported by NIH (MH105941 and 1R01NS097184), American Diabetes Association (ADA #1-17-ACE-31), Einstein-Mt. Sinai Diabetes Research Center Pilot and Feasibility award (P30DK020541) and Alexander and Alexandrine Sinsheimer Scholar Award.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stanley, S. Peripheral nerve modulation to treat metabolic disease. Nat Rev Endocrinol 14, 193–194 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2018.21
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2018.21