Collagen may worsen Type 2 diabetes, IIT-Bombay study finds

Researchers from IIT Bombay have found that collagen I — a structural protein commonly found in the body –may worsen Type 2 diabetes by helping harmful clumps of a hormone called amylin form in the pancreas. This discovery adds a new layer to our understanding of how the disease progresses and why some treatments may fall short.

In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces both insulin and amylin. While insulin helps control blood sugar, excess amylin can misfold and form sticky clumps that damage the insulin-producing β-cells. The study found that in diabetic tissue, collagen I acts like a scaffold that speeds up amylin clumping, making it more toxic and harder for the body to clear.

The team used advanced lab techniques — including surface plasmon resonance (to measure how tightly amylin sticks to collagen), atomic force microscopy (to study the force between molecules), thioflavin T fluorescence (to track clump formation), and NMR spectroscopy (to identify interacting regions) — to show how collagen I accelerates amylin aggregation. Computer simulations and studies on diabetic mice and human tissue further confirmed the link.

Tests on lab-grown β-cells showed that when amylin and collagen were both present, the cells experienced more stress, higher death rates, and reduced insulin output.

The researchers say this highlights the importance of the environment around cells, not just what happens inside them. Targeting the interaction between amylin and collagen could lead to more effective treatments. The team is now developing models using cryo-electron microscopy and exploring ways to support pancreas repair using 3D scaffolds.

The study was funded by the Wadhwani Research Centre for Bioengineering, IIT Bombay and national research bodies including the Department of Biotechnology.