Hallucination drug could help treat type 2 diabetes
Researchers studying new methods for controlling blood sugar levels in type II diabetes have found,hat the old class of antipsychotic drugscan be used to treat hyperglycemia.
Scientists believe that some drugs can be repurposed to treat diabetes, as well as modified to better control blood sugar levels.
A few years ago, the staff of the UniversityAlberta has discovered a potential new therapeutic target for the treatment of type II diabetes. Animal studies have shown that elevated levels of the enzyme SCOT (csuccinyl CoA:3-ketoacid CoA transferase) are associated with hyperglycemia.
Therefore, instead of developing a completelynew molecule to inhibit SCOT, the researchers used computer simulations. The goal is to find out if there is already a drug that affects the SCOT enzyme. According to John Asher, lead author of the new study, this repurposing of drugs speeds up the clinical development process, which means they can be tested in humans and released to the market faster.
Earlier, in 2020, scientists investigated the oldthe antipsychotic drug pimozide, which inhibits SCOT activity in obese mice. The drug also successfully eliminated obesity-induced hyperglycemia in animals.
Now, in a new study, researchersdemonstrated that several other drugs in the same class of antipsychotics work effectively as SCOT inhibitors. We are talking about diphenylbutylpiperidines, which were developed back in the 1960s and are still used today. In particular, they eliminate productive psychotic symptoms - delirium and hallucinations.
The scientists tested three drugs, and,it turns out they all interact with this enzyme and improve blood sugar control by preventing the muscles from burning ketones for fuel. “By inhibiting SCOT, old antipsychotics will find a second life as an antidiabetic drug,” the scientists say.
With drugs in the diphenylbutylpiperidine class already approved, the researchers hope to move quickly into human clinical trials.
January 16, 2022
