Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have uncovered how COVID-19 can cause diabetes or make it worse. The virus activates immune cells that destroy the pancreas’s beta (β) cells, which are responsible for making insulin. The findings were published in Cell Stem Cell on Sept. 2.
What the Research Found
- COVID-19 triggers an immune response that destroys β cells.
- β cells are needed to produce insulin, which controls blood sugar levels.
How COVID-19 Affects Other Organs
From the start of the pandemic, doctors noticed that COVID-19 harms more than just the lungs. It also impacts organs like the heart, liver, colon, and pancreas. Researchers looked at pancreatic tissue from people who died from COVID-19 and found that their pancreatic islets were damaged. They discovered that immune cells, called proinflammatory macrophages, were involved in this damage.
Macrophages and Pancreatic Damage
- Proinflammatory macrophages are part of the body’s defense system, but they sometimes cause damage to healthy cells.
- The team used lab-grown pancreatic organoids to study the process, finding that macrophages killed β cells through a process called pyroptosis.
What’s Next?
Although it’s too early for treatments, this study could help doctors develop new ways to protect the pancreas in patients with severe COVID-19. It may also shed light on long COVID, a condition that affects many people.