The objective(s) of the research
Mainly characterized by high blood sugar levels, diabetes mellitus is classified into two main categories based on the body’s response to insulin. Type I diabetes mellitus results from the inability of the pancreatic cells to produce insulin to break down glucose into glycogen, a form of stored energy in the liver and muscles. On the other hand, type II diabetes mellitus is caused by the failure of the liver and muscle cells to recognize the insulin produced by the pancreatic cells. With development of technology, several methods have been innovated to treat diabetes mellitus. One such method is autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation which was successfully used in the treatment of type I diabetes for the first time in 2007. However, its usage in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus is not well documented.
Relevance of the research question
It is this unexplored field that Lei Wang and fellow researchers from the Department of Endocrinology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology set out to illuminate. They carried out an objective study into the possible effects of combining autologous bone marrow stem cell transplantation (BMT) and hyperbaric oxygen when used to treat type II diabetes mellitus. This study was relevant as it aimed at looking at alternative treatment for type II diabetes mellitus and clearing the air of uncertainty hanging around the use of autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus.
Succinct summary of the results
After studying 31 type II diabetes mellitus patients for two years, Wang and his colleagues found out that hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values after BMT dropped significantly from 8.7% to 7.1% during follow-up. However, after the first 30 days after undergoing BMT, the values of HbA1c fluctuated by 0.5% for the next two years. C-peptide values after the combined therapy increased from P > 0.3 at other time points during follow-up to P < 0.0001 at 90 days time point when comparisons were drawn with baseline. Moreover, they noted that with this combined therapy, the dose of patients taking insulin and/or oral hypoglycemic drugs reduced significantly. Over a quarter (27%, that is 7) of the 26 patients on insulin had their doses reduced significantly after undergoing the combined therapy (Wang, L., Zhao, S., 2011).
Conclusion
Meaning of the results
After monitoring the 31 type II diabetes mellitus patients for two years and critically evaluating the results, Lei Wang and colleagues concluded that by combining autologous bone marrow stem cell transplantation (BMT) with hyperbaric oxygen treatment, it was possible to reduce glucose levels by enhancing glucose control in the patients. Moreover, this combined therapy can also significantly reduce the dose of insulin and/or oral hypoglycemic drugs used by patients suffering insulin-resistance induced diabetes mellitus. However, their study revealed that this combined therapy improved the function of pancreatic β-cell for a short period of time (Wang, L., Zhao, S., 2011).
Future directions this research could take
This research into the combined use of intrapancreatic BMT and hyperbaric oxygen to treat type II diabetes can be furthered by expanding the sample size in the clinical trials. Moreover, more research should be done to determine the mechanism by which autologous bone marrow stem cell transplantation (BMT) with hyperbaric oxygen work to improve glucose control and why this therapy has a transient effect on function of pancreatic β-cell.
Reference
Wang, L., Zhao, S., et al. (2011). Autologous bone marrow stem cell transplantation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Chin Med J (Engl), 124(22), 3622 – 8.