Kakka R, Koda-Kimble M A
School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA.
Pharmacotherapy. 1997 Jan-Feb;17(1):38-44.
Although the precise events preceding insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM, type 1 diabetes) have not yet been elucidated, it is known that IDDM results from a slow, progressive, immune process directed against pancreatic islet beta cells. Disrupting this autoimmune process has been the focus of research aimed at preventing or slowing the disease progression. Technologic advances in predicting the onset and likelihood of developing IDDM have made it possible to study the effects of early immune intervention. The National Institutes of Health recently launched a large-scale, multicenter trial to evaluate the effectiveness of insulin as preventive therapy. Although many different immunosuppressive and immunomodulating agents have been investigated, the use of insulin as a prophylactic agent is a fairly recent concept. Several methods have been used to halt the autoimmune destruction of the pancreas, with animal and human studies serving as the basis for insulin in preventing IDDM.
尽管胰岛素依赖型糖尿病（IDDM，1型糖尿病）之前的确切事件尚未阐明，但已知IDDM是由针对胰岛β细胞的缓慢、渐进性免疫过程导致的。破坏这种自身免疫过程一直是旨在预防或减缓疾病进展的研究重点。预测IDDM发病和发展可能性的技术进步使得研究早期免疫干预的效果成为可能。美国国立卫生研究院最近发起了一项大规模、多中心试验，以评估胰岛素作为预防性治疗的有效性。尽管已经研究了许多不同的免疫抑制和免疫调节药物，但将胰岛素用作预防剂是一个相当新的概念。已经使用了几种方法来阻止胰腺的自身免疫破坏，动物和人体研究为胰岛素预防IDDM提供了依据。
