A new potential therapeutic target for controlling high blood sugar has been discovered by scientists, a finding that could help the estimated 25 million Americans with type 2 diabetes. Researchers showed that lipid molecules called phosphatidic acids enhance glucose production in the liver. These findings suggest that inhibiting or reducing production of phosphatidic acids may do the opposite.

"This study establishes a role for phosphatidic acids in enhancing glucose production by the liver and identifies enzymes involved in the synthesis of phosphatidic acids as potential drug targets," said Dr. Anil Agarwal, Professor of Internal Medicine and senior author of the study in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.