β cell regeneration and novel strategies for treatment of diabetes (Review)
Zengyang Ji, Min Lü, Huanhuan Xie, Honggang Yuan, Qing Chen
Abstract
The etiology of diabetes is primarily attributed to the lack of functioning β cells, which in‑turn leads to insulin deficiency or insulin resistance, and this ultimately leads to β cell dysfunction. Restoring the number and function of β cells is an effective means of improving or even curing diabetes. β cell regeneration is a potential method for increasing the number of functioning β cells. In addition to self‑duplication of pancreatic β cells, β cells can be regenerated from embryonic stem cells, human induced pluripotent stem cells and pancreatic stem cells. Based on these mechanisms, proliferation and differentiation into functional β cells <em>in vitro</em> is one of the most promising strategies for treatment of diabetes. Although β cell regeneration has significant potential in the treatment of insulin‑deficient diabetes, and significant progress has been made in this regard, there remains challenges which prevent its use in the clinic.