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LONDON: Pseudin-2, a compound derived from the skin of a South
American frog, stimulates insulin release and its synthetic version
could be used to develop new drugs to treat type-2 diabetes, the
British Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday.
The compound is isolated from a “shrinking”
frog, which grows to 27 centimeters as a tadpole but then shrinks to
4 centimeters in adulthood, said the report.
Its synthetic version stimulated the secretion
of insulin in pancreatic cells and, more importantly, there was no
toxic effect on the cells, according to a laboratory test conducted
by scientists from the University of Ulster and the United Arab
Emirates University.
“We find that it stimulates the secretion of
insulin and that the synthetic version is more potent than pseudin-2
itself,” said study leader Yasser Abdel-Wahab, senior lecturer in
biomedical sciences at the University of Ulster, adding that this
opens the way for its potential development as a drug for treating
diabetes.
-- Xinhua
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