Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41676560›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026

Gangliosides GM3 And GD3 Modulate Insulin Aggregation Pathways and Reduce Cytotoxicity Through Structural Remodeling.

Nazifa Tasnim Ahmad, Jhinuk Saha, Yimin Mao, Robert Silvers, Zaid Abulaban, Joshua Mysona, Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Nazifa Tasnim AhmadDepartment of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer St., Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
Jhinuk SahaDepartment of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer St., Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
Yimin MaoDepartment of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer St., Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
Robert SilversDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0197-3878
Zaid AbulabanDepartment of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer St., Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
Joshua MysonaDepartment of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer St., Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
Ayyalusamy RamamoorthyDepartment of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer St., Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-1964-1900

Funding

Structural Co-evolution of the LARP Superfamily and its Role in Functional PlasticityR35GM142912 · NIGMS · FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY · PI SILVERS, ROBERT · 2021 to 2025
$2.0M
Structural Investigation of Amylin Oligomers Associated to Type-2 DiabetesR01DK132214 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI RAMAMOORTHY, AYYALUSAMY · 2022 to 2025
$1.4M
NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK132214NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM142912
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Insulin amyloid aggregation is a key pathological and pharmaceutical concern, particularly in the context of Type-2 Diabetes (T2D), where amyloid deposition of protein can impair therapeutic efficacy and contribute to cell death leading to local tissue damage. Although gangliosides-glycosphingolipids containing sialic acid residues-are known to modulate amyloid formation in neurodegenerative disorders, their influence on insulin aggregation remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigate the effects of gangliosides GM3 and GD3 on insulin aggregation. Using Thioflavin-T (ThT) based fluorescence kinetics, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), the aggregation pathway, changes in the secondary structure and morphology of insulin aggregates have been characterized. Our results show that both GM3 and GD3 lipids accelerated insulin aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner while steering the pathway away from classical fibril formation, producing short, beaded structures distinct from the extended fibrils observed under lipid-free conditions. CD and FTIR data analyses revealed that insulin in the presence of gangliosides formed non-fibrillar intermediates with distinct secondary structures: β-sheet-rich globular clusters in presence of GD3 and α-helical intermediates in GM3-treated samples. Cytotoxicity assays further demonstrated that ganglioside-induced aggregates are significantly less toxic to cells when compared to insulin-only aggregates. Furthermore, ganglioside-bound insulin oligomers retain seeding capacity, suggesting that they can nucleate further aggregation despite their non-fibrillar morphology. These findings underscore the role of gangliosides in modulating insulin amyloid polymorphism and toxicity, offering new insights into their potential impact on the pathology of T2D and treatment strategies.

Indexed as

CytotoxicityGangliosidesInsulin aggregationNon-fibrillar aggregatesPolymorphismType-2 Diabetes (T2D)

Identifiers

PMID41676560
PMCPMC12889600

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.