Peptide directorySkin, immune & repair

Betacellulin

An EGF-family factor named for the beta cell, which it can regrow in mice.

Where it comes from

Made in
Pancreas, gut, kidney, and a beta-cell tumour where it was found; also in milk
Sent out by
Shed by ADAM10
Acts on
  • Pancreatic duct and beta cells
  • Gut lining
  • Retina and kidney epithelium

What it does

  • Makes new beta cells from duct cells in diabetic mice
  • Promotes gut and kidney epithelial growth
  • Drives neural stem cells in the mouse brain

In medicine

  • None. It was found in a mouse beta-cell tumour and has never been given to a person 1
  • Nothing is measured through it in practice

Beyond the body’s own use

  • Beta-cell regeneration is the reason anyone studies it: in mice made diabetic with alloxan, recombinant betacellulin made new beta cells from duct cells and improved glucose tolerance 2
  • That was in 2000, and nothing has followed in people. It signals through EGFR, which nearly every epithelium carries, so a dose aimed at the pancreas would not stay there 1

Sources

  1. Shing et al., Betacellulin: a mitogen from pancreatic beta cell tumours, Science 1993
  2. Yamamoto et al., Recombinant human betacellulin promotes the neogenesis of beta-cells, Diabetes 2000

This card describes what a medicine is for and what the evidence says; it recommends nothing. Talk to your clinician about anything you read here.