We found if we treated these mice with harmine and the GLP-1 receptor agonist exenatide (Byetta, AstraZeneca), their diabetes improved dramatically, almost completely. That lasted for a couple weeks.

Finally, in July 2024, they showed that harmine alone increases human beta cell mass by 300%, and if a GLP-1RA is added, by 700%. A key question has been how harmine causes beta cells to regenerate.

To test their therapy, the scientists combined harmine, a plant-derived compound, with GLP-1 receptor agonists, a common type 2 diabetes treatment.

Waki, H. et al. The small molecule harmine is an antidiabetic cell-type-specific regulator of PPARγ expression. Cell Metab. 5, 357–370 (2007). Article CAS Google Scholar Download references ...

Harmine stimulates proliferation of human neural progenitors. PeerJ, 2016; 4: e2727 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2727 ...