Cisplatin Impairs Mitochondrial Function and Insulin Secretion in Mouse Islets

Type 2 diabetes incidence is rising at an alarming rate across the globe. Previous research has shown increased rates of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in cancer survivors following treatment with cisplatin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. The goal of our research is to determine if cisplatin treatment puts cancer survivors at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes, due in part to off-target damage to pancreatic β cells. To study the effects of cisplatin on β cells, we treated immortalized β cells (INS-1) and primary mouse islets with 10 μM cisplatin or vehicle for 48 hours in vitro.