The scientific and medical communities are now turning to Amazon's nocturnal frog in the hopes to find a cure for diabetes. The amphibian is known as the paradoxical frog as it shrinks in size as it grows.
According to scientists who are studying the frog's skin, they have found a substance that can stimulate our bodies' release of insulin, the vital hormone that is lacking in people suffering from diabetes.
The said substance known as pseudin-2 is being used by the paradoxical frog to protect it from infection. When introduced to cultured cells, it has been found that pseudin-2 is capable of increasing insulin release by 50%.
The scientists added that this substance can help patients with Type 2 diabetes. This is very important because this kind of diabetes is prevalent as it is triggered by one's lifestyle and food intake.
The team in charge of the study is comprised of delegates from University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and United
Arab Emirates University.
Yasser Abdel-Wahab, senior lecturer in Biomedical Sciences and team member, had this to say:
We have tested a more potent synthetic version of the pseudin-2 peptide and have found that it has the potential for development into a compound for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.
Now we need to take this a step further and put our work into practice to try and help people with Type 2 diabetes.
The team added that more research is needed to be able to test this to human patients.