RESUMO
Glutamate decarboxylase or glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is a protein associated with autoimmune diseases, including type-1 diabetes. This disease is primarily associated with the occurrence of a specific isoform: GAD65. Conversely, some specific peptides of this protein may block autoimmunity in diabetes. In this respect, understanding the relationship between GAD and the development of diabetes is important, and it is necessary to understand the role of each GAD peptide to design effective autoimmune diabetes treatments. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effects of treatment with GAD-derived peptides p217 and p290 on INS receptors in the salivary epithelium of nonobese diabetic (NOD) animals. Three groups of 7 mice each were studied: I, BALB/c mice (control); II, NOD mice; and III, NOD mice treated with peptides p290 and p217. Groups I and II only received buffered saline solution. Glucose levels were measured daily during the 21 days of the experiment. After the study, the animals were euthanized and the parotid and submandibular glands were removed for the analysis of INS-R by fluorescence microscopy. Therapy with two peptides together was associated with reduced glucose levels in NOD mice and intense INS-R expression in both salivary organs. Our approach of combining GAD p217 and p290 peptides contributed to hormonal balance and promoted the repair of INS-R.