RESEARCH on a natural cell chemical could pave the way to a "vitamin" pill that prevents or even reverses diabetes, scientists predict.
The compound, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), plays a vital role in the way cells use energy.
Scientists in the US were able to normalise blood sugar levels in diabetic mice by injecting them with the chemical.
At the same time the jabs lowered raised levels of cholesterol and triglyceride blood fats.
The researchers are now working on a way of administering NMN to mice in drinking water.
In future they hope to develop a "nutriceutical" pill that can be taken like a vitamin to combat Type 2 diabetes.
"Once we can get a grade of NMN that humans can take, we would really like to launch a pilot human study," said study leader Dr Shin-ichiro Imai, from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.
Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, affects more than two million Britons and is linked to lifestyle.
The US scientists triggered the condition in young, healthy mice by feeding them a high-fat diet.
All had reduced levels of a molecule called NAD that harvests energy from nutrients and turns it into a form cells can use.
In both mice and humans, NAD is derived from NMN made by cells via a chain of biological reactions.
One of NAD's effects is activation of SIRT1, a protein that has been shown to promote healthy metabolism throughout the body.
Although NAD is too toxic to be administered directly, the scientists were able to raise its levels in mice by injecting them with NMN.
After the treatment, the animals showed dramatically improved responses to glucose.
In the case of female mice, tests showed their ability to move glucose from the blood to organs and tissues had returned to normal. Male mice also showed an improvement, but were not completely normalised.
The gender difference might be explained by hormonal effects, the scientists believe.
Dr Jun Yoshino, also from Washington University, who co-authored the research published in the journal Cell Metabolism, said: "I'm very excited to see these results because the effect of NMN is much bigger than other known compounds or chemicals. Plus, the fact that the body naturally makes NMN is promising for translating these findings into humans."
In older mice, around 15% of healthy males fed a normal diet also developed diabetes.
Glucose response improved in these animals after just one injection of NMN. The same treatment had no adverse effects on older mice not suffering from diabetes.
Few elderly female mice developed the disease unless they were switched to a high-fat diet.
"Again, when we injected these females with NMN, we came up with a completely normal glucose tolerance curve," said Dr Kathryn Mills, another member of the Washington University team. "We can also see that the NMN has completely reversed and normalised the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and free fatty acids."
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at the charity Diabetes UK, said: "The research is at a very early stage and has shown some benefit in female mice with diabetes and less benefit in male mice.
"Whilst promising, it would take an enormous leap of faith to assume a new pill will soon be on the market for people with, or at high risk of, Type 2 diabetes."
- John von Radowitz