Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/IbK5Zir0XuE

 

Verapamil, prescribed as the generic and the branded drugs Calan, Isoptin,and Verelan, reduces a diabetic’s daily need for insulin by diminishing the autoimmunity that damages insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells.  Endocrinologists at the University of Alabama-Birmingham had conducted a small phase 2 study of verapamil in type 1 diabetics and found that daily verapamil therapy for 1 or 2 years lowers the requirement for injected insulin.

 

They report that verapamil works by reducing the production of chromogranin A, CHGA for short, that serves to drive up the proinflammatory molecules which damage islet cells and reduce their ability to produce insulin.  The continued use of  verapamil drives the levels of CHGA down to those seen in non-diabetic controls.  Once the verapamil is discontinued, though, levels of CHGA increase once again with reduced islet cell function and the need for additional injectable insulin.  The studies also show that verapamil diminishes destructive cell-mediated autoimmune reactions.

 

The investigators look to the future for larger and longer-term controlled trials of verapamil as an agent that not only reduces the need for insulin injections but also stops the progression of diabetes or prevents it entirely.  More good news: even though the treated diabetics had normal blood pressure, the verapamil did not depress their blood pressures unduly.

 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28826-3

 

#verapamil #diabetes #chga #autoimmunity