Beneficial Effects of Tamoxifen Treatment in Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the destruction of pancreatic β-cell through the β-cell specific autoimmune process. β-cell autoantigens, macrophages, dendritic cells (DC), B lymphocytes, and T lymphocytes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes. Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM), used in the treatment of breast cancer. Research reports have shown that tamoxifen might decrease the strength of immune responses through modulation of DC differentiation and activation, and it may depress immunity. In NOD/ShiLtJ mice (female), which is a polygenic model for T1D, we found that tamoxifen exerts antidiabetic effects through acting on the immune system, leading to the suppression of insulitis and systemic inflammatory cytokine production in the in-vivo model. Tamoxifen therapy preserved the β-cell mass and prevented the development of T1D. Tamoxifen providing β-cell protection and immunoinhibitory effects offer a novel insight into the possible role of tamoxifen in the regulation of islet cell function and glucose homeostasis. These findings are significant and useful for clinical application. Disclosure J. Zheng: None. M. Zafar: None. L. Chen: None. X. Guo: None. X. Li: None.