Diabetes pain breakthrough - after 30 years

Monday May 14th, 2012

Thirty years of research at a British university may have opened the way to tackling the mysterious pains that affect many people with diabetes.

Researchers say they have "vital new insights" into the problem - and that this offers hope of a specific target for new drug treatments.

About 50 per cent of people with diabetes suffer from painful diabetic neuropathy, affecting their sleep, relationships, self-esteem and ability to work.

Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers at Warwick University say they have "convincing" evidence that a compound call methylglyoxal is the culprit.

Professor Paul Thornalley is one of a team of researchers who have spent up to 30 years studying the compound.

He said: "MG appears to attack and modify a key protein in the nerve endings called Nav 1.8 causing nerves to become super-sensitive to pain and extremes of temperature.  So diabetics typically develop a heightened sensitivity to hot and cold, accompanied with intense pain.

"This collaborative research indicates that using small peptides to 'scavenge' the problem-causing compound will lead to a reduction in pain and opens up new routes to develop accurate, targeted drug treatments to help diabetics."

He added: "With global rates of diabetes increasing each year, our research is offering valuable insight into the science behind why glucose metabolism causes so many side effects and ultimately how we can develop treatments to improve patient care and outcomes."

Nature Medicine May 13 2012; doi 10.1038/nm.2750

Tags: Diabetes | Pain Relief | UK News

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