If you’re one of the individuals who require a regular medical injection to help manage your type II diabetes, you may have a lizard to thank for your treatment. Specifically, your gratitude should be directed towards the handsome fellow shown in the photo. He is known as the Gila monster.
The saliva of this species contains a peptide (essentially, a small protein) that helps regulate blood sugar. Known as exendin-4, this peptide is being used in patients to supplement existing type II diabetes treatments. Fortunately, researchers now know how to make the peptide in a laboratory setting, so no lizards are inconvenienced for the sake of our health.
So what does this peptide do? It acts as a messenger. As you know, consuming a meal increases your blood sugar. To help keep your body balanced (and yes, balance is good), your pancreas sends out insulin. When your body doesn’t respond to insulin as well, you have type II diabetes. This is where exendin-4 comes in to play. It tells your pancreas to increase insulin production – helping to decrease blood sugar levels and ultimately, to restore balance. Given how helpful this lizard species has been, putting the term “monster” in its name may have been a bit premature.
