Li L, Yang X, Ren JS, Huang MZ, Zhao QW. Immunosuppressive agents in diabetes treatment: Hope or despair? World J Diabetes 2025; 16(5): 100590 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i5.100590]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ming-Zhu Huang, PhD, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China. hmzj2002@zju.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Diabetes. May 15, 2025; 16(5): 100590 Published online May 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i5.100590
Immunosuppressive agents in diabetes treatment: Hope or despair?
Lu Li, Xi Yang, Jin-Shuai Ren, Ming-Zhu Huang, Qing-Wei Zhao
Lu Li, Xi Yang, Jin-Shuai Ren, Ming-Zhu Huang, Qing-Wei Zhao, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Ming-Zhu Huang and Qing-Wei Zhao.
Author contributions: Li L, Huang MZ and Zhao QW contributed to design the work; Li L, Yang X and Ren JS contributed to perform the research and analyzed the data; Li L, Huang MZ and Zhao QW contributed to drafted and revised the work; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript. Huang MZ and Zhao QW contributed equally to this paper as co-corresponding authors. Both Huang MZ and Zhao QW have played important and indispensable roles in the article design and manuscript preparation as the co-corresponding authors. Huang MZ obtained the funds for this research project and was primarily responsible for the organization and review of the content related to type 2 diabetes and transplantation. Zhao QW designed, and supervised the whole process of the project, and was mainly in charge of the organization and review of the content related to type 1 diabetes.
Supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82273986; and Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, No. LYY22H310014.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ming-Zhu Huang, PhD, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China. hmzj2002@zju.edu.cn
Received: August 21, 2024 Revised: January 19, 2025 Accepted: March 5, 2025 Published online: May 15, 2025 Processing time: 247 Days and 18.9 Hours
Abstract
Exploration of immunosuppressive agents for the treatment of diabetes is a burgeoning field that has captured the attention of the medical community. The innovative approach of using these agents to combat diabetes is driven by their diverse capabilities to regulate the immune system, which is pivotal for disease pathogenesis. The primary objective is to enhance the management of blood glucose levels, which is a critical factor in the daily life of diabetic patients. This comprehensive review delves into the therapeutic horizons opened by immunosuppressive agents, particularly their potential impact on type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and their utility in the transplantation process. The complex etiology of diabetes, which involves a delicate interplay of genetic, environmental, and immunological factors, presents a multifaceted target landscape for these therapies. The agents discussed in the review, including CD3 inhibitors, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4-immunoglobulin G, Janus kinase inhibitors, anti-thymocyte globulin, tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors, CD20 inhibitors, alefacept, and alemtuzumab, each bring a unique mechanism to the table, offering a tailored approach to immune modulation. As research progresses, emphasis is being placed on evaluating the long-term efficacy and safety of these agents to pave the way for more personalized and effective diabetes management strategies.
Core Tip: The exploration of immunosuppressive agents for diabetes treatment is gaining attention. Diabetes' complex etiology offers multiple therapeutic targets. These agents regulate the immune system, which plays a crucial role in diabetes pathogenesis. The review examines their potential in type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and transplantation. The review aims to reveal the potential and limitations of these therapies by summarizing current research on immunosuppressive agents in diabetes treatment and prevention.
