Arachidonic Acid Fights Palmitate - New insights into fatty acid toxicity to β-cells

Henrik Ortsäter (1)

1 Department of Clinical Science and Education

Saturated fatty acids are toxic to pancreatic β-cells. By inducing apoptosis, they contribute to a decrease in β-cell mass, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes. In this issue of Clinical Science, Keane and co-workers show that the polyunsaturated fatty acid arachidonic acid protects the β-cell against the toxic effects of palmitate. As type 2 diabetes is characterised by subclinical inflammation, and arachidonic acid and metabolites thereof are produced during states of inflammation, it is possible that pancreatic β-cells use arachidonic acid as a compound for self-protection.

Mots clés: Medicine

Henrik Ortsäter. Arachidonic Acid Fights Palmitate - New insights into fatty acid toxicity to β-cells. Clinical Science, 2010, 120 (5), pp.179-181. ⟨10.1042/CS20100521⟩. ⟨hal-00642844⟩