# Frog Cure for Type 2 Diabetes?



## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

From:

http://health.propeller.com/story/2008/ ... og-therapy



Type 2 Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is primarily characterized by insulin resistance, relative insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia. Because of it's nature it is also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Researchers at the University of Ulster and United Arab Emirates University belive that a tiny South American frog is the answer for type 2 diabetes.

While studying the properties of South American paradoxical frog's skin researchers have found a substance that can stimulate the release of insulin.

A South American striped frog (Pseudis paradoxa), remarkable for having a tadpole larger than the adult, and hence called paradoxical frog can be found in permanent ponds with vegetation in South America and Trinidad.

In type 2 diabetes, the body either does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore it. Laboratory tests have shown that the paradoxical frog's peptide, known as pseudin-2, increased release of insulin in cultured cells by 50 per cent. However, there's more work to be done before the therapy is ready to be tested on humans.

Dr Yasser Abdel-Wahab, senior lecturer in biomedical sciences at the University of Ulster, said: "We are at an exciting stage with this research. More research is needed, but there is a growing body of work around natural anti-diabetic drug discovery that, as you can see, is already yielding fascinating results."

"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 skin secretions of frogs and other amphibians are being investigated as a source of biological agents for new drugs for some time. You can already find a diabetes drug based on the saliva of Gila monster, but apparently the frog secretions could be even more effective.


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

After diving into this some more (review of the primary article and supporting literature), I'm less intrigued based on the putative mechanism of action of pseudin-2. But it warrants further investigation.

Bill


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