SPARC Protein Key Link between Obesity and Diabetes

Researchers have discovered that a protein called SPARC is responsible for causing scarring of fat tissue which could be the key to understanding the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes.  Read more about Metabolic Endocrinology Type II Diabetes Therapy Area Drug Pipeline Report

The researchers found that people diagnosed as being obese and people suffering from pre-diabetes had higher levels of the SPARC protein which is responsible for tissue scarring. This study revealed that an increase in the levels of insulin – the hormone which controls the blood sugar levels, and leptin, the hormone which responsible for the regulation of appetite are able to trigger an increase in SPARC, which will then prevent the proper storage of fat in the fat tissue cells.

Scientists believe that leptin could trigger SPARC to limit the storage of fat, in its attempt to balance the energy levels in the body. SPARC is able to do this by increasing the formation of scars in fat tissue, which may prevent the fat from being safely store inside the body. The researchers found that this action by the SPARC protein could result in obese patients becoming predisposed to type-2 diabetes.

The scientists tested the fat tissue of patients and found that an increase in the levels of leptin resulted in an increase in the levels of SPARC as well. This increase in SPARC levels in turn reduced the safe storage of fat through the development of abnormal scarring of the fat tissues. This scarring of the fat tissues is known to increase with the increase in weight, and is also exacerbated by leptin, as well as by an increase in the levels of insulin which is produced by the pancreas.

Scientists have found that leptin continues to increase in levels in response to overall mass of the fat and thereby promoted the scarring of fat tissue through increased levels of the SPARC protein. Once scarring take place, the excess nutritional energy from fat cannot be taken up by the fat cells and it therefore remains in the blood, and begins to collect around organs.

It was also discovered that weight gain induced by more than doubling of the calorie intake by eating junk food caused the increase of SPARC levels by 33%. Furthermore, reduced calorie diet was found to decrease SPARC levels and the stimuli for fat tissue scarring. Studies are now being conducted on how further understanding of SPARC could lead to future treatments of diabetes.
Read more about Metabolic Endocrinology Type II Diabetes Therapy Area Drug Pipeline Report