Secretions of South American Frog: New Hope for Diabetes Treatment?

Filed in archive Notable , Research , Treatment on March 6, 2008

The skin of a South American frog - the paradoxical frog, Pseudis paradoxa - secretes a substance that prevents the skin from infection.




The said secretion has been found to stimulate insulin release, thereby bringing new hope in the search for diabetes treatments.

Such were the finding of a scientist from University of Ulster: Dr Yasser Abdel-Wahab.

The paradoxical frog, Pseudis paradoxa, secretes a substance from its skin which protects it from infection. But the molecule, pseudin-2, may have another use for humans. Researchers found that it stimulates the release of insulin, the vital hormone which is deficient in diabetes sufferers.

Scientists made an artificial copy of the peptide, or protein building block, and showed that it could be used to boost insulin production in people with Type 2 diabetes.

They believe it could provide a new diabetes drug treatment, part of a new class of medicines called incretin mimetics which mimic natural substances.

However more work must be carried out before the frog therapy is ready to be tested on human patients.

Mimetic. Remember the other mimetic derived from poison lizard? That's right. Byetta is the first mimetic already in the market for diabetes.

Find more details from University of Ulster.