INSULIN RELEASING PEPTIDES

摘要

The present invention relates to peptides, or fragments thereof, isolated from the skin secretions of amphibians and which act as stimulators of insulin secretion and pancreatic beta cell function.The invention also encompasses peptide having at least 80%, preferably at least 85%, more preferably at least 90%, optionally more than 95%, sequence identity based on the ClustalW alignment method with the respective amino acid sequences of SEQ ID Nos. 1 to 17. Furthermore, the invention also includes peptides selected from the group comprising brevinins, dermaseptins and esculentins for stimulating insulin secretion by activation of physiological stimulus-secretion coupling pathways. These peptides are useful to stimulate insulin secretion and/or moderate blood glucose excursions. These peptides may be used for treatment of type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus.