Tobacco plants can help treat diabetes

Tobacco plants can be used as 'green bioreactors' to produce a potentially powerful therapeutic that could treat a number of disorders like diabetes, stroke, dementia and arthritis, scientists say.

The plants are being used to produce large quantities of a human protein called Interleukin 37, or IL-37.

The protein is naturally produced in the human kidney in very small quantities and has powerful anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing properties, providing potential for treating a number of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders like type 2 diabetes, stroke, dementia and arthritis.

"This protein is a master regulator of inflammation in the body, and has been shown in pre-clinical models to be effective in treating a whole host of diseases," said Tony Jevnikar, a professor at Western University in Canada. "The human kidney produces IL-37, but not nearly enough to get us out of an inflammation injury," said Jevnikar. While showing promise in animal models, The research is the first of its kind to demonstrate that this functional human protein can be produced in plant cells.

Researchers are investigating the effect that IL-37 has for preventing organ injury during transplantation.

When an organ is removed for transplantation and then transferred to a recipient, inflammation occurs when the blood flow is restored to the organ.