WS6 is a small-molecule inducer of β cell proliferation [1].

β cells are a subset of cells in the pancreatic islets and play an important role in regulating glucose homeostasis through the production of insulin [1].

WS6 is a small-molecule inducer of β cell proliferation. In mouse β cell line R7T1, WS6 induced cell proliferation with EC50 value of 0.28 μM. WS6 was very active in primary human and rodent islets. In primary rat and human β cells, WS6 induced rat β cell proliferation with EC50 value of 0.4 μM and increased 4% of rat β cells and 3% of human β cells to proliferate. In intact islet cultures, WS6 significantly induced proliferation [1]. In cultured human islets, WS6 induced β cell proliferation and also α cell proliferation. However, WS6 didn’t influence the expression of β cell-specific transcription factors and the amount of insulin-positive β cells, which suggested that WS6 didn’t influence β cell differentiation and human islet cell viability [2].

In type 1 diabetes (T1D) mice, WS6 significantly reduced blood glucose and increased β cell proliferation from 3.8% to 6.4% [1].

References:
[1].  Shen W, Tremblay MS, Deshmukh VA, et al. Small-Molecule Inducer of β Cell Proliferation Identified by High-Throughput Screening. J Am Chem Soc, 2013, 135(5): 1669-1672.
[2].  Boerner BP, George NM, Mir SU, et al. WS6 induces both alpha and beta cell proliferation without affecting differentiation or viability. Endocr J, 2015, 62(4): 379-386.