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Nature Medicine 12, 511 - 512 (2006)
doi:10.1038/nm0506-511

Overcoming insulin resistance with CNTF

Rexford S Ahima1

  1. The author is in the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. e-mail: ahima@mail.med.upenn.edu


Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) enhances fatty-acid oxidation in muscle and reduces insulin resistance in obese, diabetic mice. Because skeletal muscle is the major site of insulin-mediated glucose uptake, this action of CNTF could benefit individuals with diabetes (pages 541–548).


The ability to maintain normal blood glucose levels involves a complex interplay between insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells and responsiveness of organs, in particular liver, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle1. Type 2 diabetes is commonly associated with obesity and results from insufficient insulin production and reduced sensitivity to insulin1.

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