A study published in The Journal of Immunology revealed that hyperglycemia and type 1 diabetes cause immune changes that protect against melanoma, breast, and colon cancers. Research led by Dr. Anamika Bose found that high blood sugar metabolically rejuvenates CD8+ T cells via the IGF1-IGF1R signaling pathway in mice and human blood cells, enhancing tumor control. These findings offer potential avenues for developing new T cell-based cancer immunotherapies.
Hyperglycemia reduces tumor growth
- ▪Tumor growth in hyperglycemic mice was significantly reduced compared to diabetic mice receiving insulin and mice with normal blood sugar levels.
- ▪A study published in The Journal of Immunology found that hyperglycemia associated with type 1 diabetes protects against melanoma, breast, and colon cancers.
Effects of hyperglycemia on T cells
- ▪Hyperglycemia reprograms T cells by increasing their total count and enhancing their effectiveness at fighting tumors.
- ▪Hyperglycemia causes the body to maintain more inflammatory immune cells, but administering insulin to type 1 diabetic mice reduced the T cells' heightened cancer-fighting abilities.
IGF1-IGF1R pathway rejuvenates T cells
- ▪Blood samples from people with hyperglycemia showed an increased activation of the same IGF1-IGF1R signaling pathway observed in hyperglycemic mice.
- ▪Researchers determined that high blood glucose metabolically rejuvenates CD8+ T cells for improved tumor control through the IGF1-IGF1R cellular signaling axis.
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