Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition as a novel treatment for diabetes mellitus

Both common forms of diabetes have an inflammatory pathogenesis in which immune and metabolic factors converge on
interleukin-1ß as a key mediator of insulin resistance and ß-cell failure. In addition to improving insulin resistance and preventing
ß-cell inflammatory damage, there is evidence of genetic association between diabetes and histone deacetylases (HDACs); and
HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) promote ß-cell development, proliferation, differentiation and function and positively affect late diabetic
microvascular complications. Here we review this evidence and propose that there is a strong rationale for preclinical studies and
clinical trials with the aim of testing the utility of HDACi as a novel therapy for diabetes.