Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 have shown that miRNAs have pivotal roles in many different gene regulatory pathways. A subset of miRNAs has been shown to be involved in metabolic regulation of glucose homeostasis and in epigenetics of diabetes type 2. Pancreatic islet-specific miR-375 inhibits insulin secretion in mouse pancreatic β-cells by inhibiting the expression of the protein myotrophin. An overexpression of miR-375 can completely suppress glucose-induced insulin secretion, while inhibition of native miR-375 will increase insulin secretion. In another study, increasing the level of miR-9, a different miRNA, resulted in a severe defect in glucose-stimulated insulin release. This happens because miR-9 down-regulated the transcription
Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 energy metabolism and inflammation. SIRT1 overexpression or activation by resveratrol could improve insulin resistance and SIRT1 activators are being developed for diabetes treatment. The role of other HDACs and the potential use of HDAC inhibitors in diabetes is not very clear. Other treatments look towards an anti-inflammatory agent and HAT inhibitor, curcumin, which in trials ameliorated high glucose-induced inflammatory gene expression and histone acetylation at their promoters as well as changes in HAT and HDAC activities in human monocytes. Metabolic memory is the phenomenon of diabetic vascular stresses persisting after glucose normalization in diabetic patients because of early an glycemic