The most common form of the disease, type 2 diabetes results primarily from lifestyle effects: namely, obesity and lack of exercise. The duck-billed platypus GLP-1 is an actual gut hormone (as opposed to an analog), but is much longer lasting, which makes it an ideal anti-diabetic drug. And this property makes the platypus GLP-1 an intriguing molecule to biomedical scientists looking for more effective ways to treat type 2 diabetes. The structure of the GLP-1 produced by the duck-billed platypus appears to be fine-tuned so that this biomolecule can balance its two roles as a gut hormone and a venom component. If not quickly removed, insulin release would persist, thereby causing blood sugar to plummet to dangerously low levels. This enzyme targets GLP-1 after its release to ensure it is quickly destroyed once this gut hormone triggers insulin release. Unlike GLP-1, GLP-1-like venom components of, say, the Gila monster, are long-lived in the bloodstream because they have structural features that make them resistant to digestive enzymes such as dipeptidyl peptidase. Lowered blood sugar levels create confusion and lethargy. Including incretins in venom causes blood sugar levels to drop after the venom is injected into the victim. (In the Gila monster, this bio-compound is called exendin-4.) Again, an ingenious design. Other animals, such as the Gila monster, have venom components that are structurally analogous to GLP-1, but are distinct molecules. To the surprise of the Australian researchers, the venom of the duck-billed platypus contains GLP-1. This preparation is vital, because elevated levels of blood sugar have dangerous long-term consequences. This ingenious design ensures that insulin is released and the liver, muscles, and fat tissues are poised to take up glucose even before blood sugar levels rise as nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream via the digestion process. Image: Insulin and glucagon regulate blood glucose levels in the human anatomy, specifically the liver and pancreas.Įating food stimulates the release of GLP-1 in the gut. Like GLP-1, glucagon also stimulates insulin release, so when the blood sugar level rises (because of glucagon’s release from the alpha-cells), the sugar is quickly taken up by muscle and adipose tissues. Glucagon exerts its effect when the blood sugar level drops. When released by the alpha-cells of the pancreas, glucagon stimulates the liver to break down glycogen and then release glucose into the blood stream. A blood hormone, glucagon has the opposite effect as insulin. In turn, insulin causes the liver, muscles, and adipose tissues to take up glucose from the blood. GLP-1 stimulates the beta-cells in the pancreas to release insulin. Secreted in the gut, GLP-1 ultimately lowers blood sugar levels by making its way through the blood stream to the pancreas. These compounds serve as metabolic hormones that stimulate a decrease in blood glucose levels. To appreciate why this research team thinks that the platypus GLP-1 hormone may have use in treating diabetes, a little background is in order.įound in all mammals, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) belongs to a family of biomolecules called incretins. 1 They believe that this insight may lead to a new drug treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Recently, researchers from Australia demonstrated the value of studying platypus biology when they discovered that a gut hormone (GLP-1) which regulates blood sugar levels doubles as a component in the duck-billed platypus’s venom. And because they group apart from other mammals, many life scientists believe that they can learn a lot about the mammalian biology (including human biology) through comparative studies of the monotremes.
Biologists regard monotremes as primitive mammals. Instead, it belongs to an unusual group called the monotremes. This creature is neither a placental nor a marsupial mammal. Not only does the duck-billed platypus fascinate animal lovers, it has captured the attention of the scientific community. The venom can kill a small animal (such as a dog) and cause excruciating pain for humans. Being struck by a platypus’s spurs is no pleasant thing. The platypus has spurs on its hind feet, and for males, the spurs are loaded with venom. This little creature reminded me of a beaver as he swam around in the water.īut as cute and cuddly as the duck-billed platypus appears to be, I came to learn (not by experience but by listening to the zookeeper) that you don’t want to mess with this egg-laying mammal. I wouldn’t classify it as a bucket-list experience, but it was off-the-charts cool to see a duck-billed platypus up close a few years ago when my wife and I visited Tasmania.
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