Pathology of Type 2 Diabetes
The pancreas creates several hormones; the one diabetic is most familiar with is insulin but amylin is also significant. The pancreas is not a sex-specific organ and is present in both males and females. The pancreas is located behind the stomach in the upper left abdomen. It is surrounded by other organs, including the small intestine, liver, and spleen. It is a salmon-coloured spongy organ; it is about six to ten inches long, and is shaped like a flat pear or a fish extended horizontally across the abdomen. It is part of the digestive and endocrine systems. The endocrine system is a network of glands and organs that produce and release hormones into the bloodstream to regulate and coordinate the body’s functions.
In Type 1 Diabetes, it is the body’s own immune system that attacks and destroys the Beta cells (β-cells) in the pancreas which create insulin. The function of beta cells is primarily centred around the creation and secretion of hormones, particularly insulin and amylin. Both hormones work to keep blood glucose levels within a narrow, healthy range by different mechanisms.
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, one of the most common metabolic disorders, it is caused by a combination of factors, the main ones being;
- Insulin Resistance
- Beta-Cell Dysfunction
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a disease characterized by heterogeneously progressive loss of islet Beta cell insulin secretion usually occurring after (my emphasis) the presence of insulin resistance (IR) and it is one component of metabolic syndrome[1]
Because insulin release and activity are essential processes for glucose homeostasis[2], the molecular mechanisms involved in the synthesis and release of insulin, as well as in its detection are tightly regulated. Defects in any of the mechanisms involved in these processes can lead to a metabolic imbalance responsible for the development of the disease.[3]
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Mark A. Ashford
[1] X. Lu, Q. Xie, X. Pan, R. Zhang, X. Zhang, G. Peng, Y. Zhang, S. Shen, and N. Tong, “Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults: Pathogenesis, Prevention and Therapy,” Signal Transduct Target Ther 9, no. 1 (2024).
[2] Billman GE. Homeostasis: The Underappreciated and Far Too Often Ignored Central Organizing Principle of Physiology. Front Physiol. 2020 Mar 10;11:200. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00200., “Homeostasis: The under Appreciated and Far Too Often Ignored Central Organizing Principle of Physiology,” (2020).
[3] U. Galicia-Garcia, A. Benito-Vicente, S. Jebari, A. Larrea-Sebal, H. Siddiqi, K. B. Uribe, H. Ostolaza, and C. Martin, “Pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus,” Int J Mol Sci 21, no. 17 (2020).
