HAMSAB diet ameliorates dysfunctional signaling in pancreatic islets in autoimmune diabetes.

An altered gut microbiota is associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D), affecting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and glucose homeostasis. We previously demonstrated that enhancing serum acetate and butyrate using a dietary supplement (HAMSAB) improved glycemia in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice and patients with established T1D. The effects of SCFA on immune-infiltrated islet cells remain to be clarified. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on islet cells from NOD mice fed an HAMSAB or control diet. HAMSAB induced a regulatory gene expression profile in pancreas-infiltrated immune cells. Moreover, HAMSAB maintained the expression of β-cell functional genes and decreased cellular stress. HAMSAB-fed mice showed preserved pancreatic endocrine cell identity, evaluated by decreased numbers of poly-hormonal cells. Finally, SCFA increased insulin levels in human β-like cells and improved transplantation outcome in NOD/SCID mice. Our findings support the use of metabolite-based diet as attractive approach to improve glucose control in T1D.
Competing Interests: E.M. is an inventor on a patent WO2018027274A1 submitted by Monash University that covers methods and compositions of metabolites for treatment and prevention of autoimmune disease related to this paper and stock ownership for ImmunoBiota Therapeutics Pty Ltd. E.N.G. declares that there are no other relationships or activities that might bias, or be perceived to bias, the present work.
(© 2023 The Author(s).)