Neural regeneration researchApr 30, 2016

New nerve and body-wide repair treatments for diabetes involving mTOR

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 29, 2026

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasingly common and currently has limited therapies to address its complications.

DM affects multiple organs and the central and peripheral nervous systems, leading to conditions such as dementia and diabetic neuropathy.
The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) may play a key role in developing new regenerative strategies for DM treatment.
mTOR influences several metabolic processes, including insulin resistance, insulin secretion, and stem cell function.
mTOR is a central component of two protein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, which are involved in various signaling pathways.
Understanding mTOR's role in cellular metabolism could help translate its pathways into effective clinical treatment options for DM.

Simplified

Throughout the globe, diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing in incidence with limited therapies presently available to prevent or resolve the significant complications of this disorder. DM impacts multiple organs and affects all components of the central and peripheral nervous systems that can range from dementia to diabetic neuropathy. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a promising agent for the development of novel regenerative strategies for the treatment of DM. mTOR and its related signaling pathways impact multiple metabolic parameters that include cellular metabolic homeostasis, insulin resistance, insulin secretion, stem cell proliferation and differentiation, pancreatic β-cell function, and programmed cell death with apoptosis and autophagy. mTOR is central element for the protein complexes mTOR Complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTOR Complex 2 (mTORC2) and is a critical component for a number of signaling pathways that involve phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-K), protein kinase B (Akt), AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK), silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) (SIRT1), Wnt1 inducible signaling pathway protein 1 (WISP1), and growth factors. As a result, mTOR represents an exciting target to offer new clinical avenues for the treatment of DM and the complications of this disease. Future studies directed to elucidate the delicate balance mTOR holds over cellular metabolism and the impact of its broad signaling pathways should foster the translation of these targets into effective clinical regimens for DM.

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New nerve and body-wide repair treatments for diabetes involving mTOR

Abstract

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