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World J Diabetes. May 15, 2026; 17(5): 118754
Published online May 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i5.118754
Published online May 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i5.118754
Unlocking pancreatic metabolic memory: Can early interventions reverse obesity and block diabetes before it strikes?
Yu-Jue Wang, Shuai-Yan Wang, Zi-Mu Li, Mo Zhou, Cong-Yi Xie, Bin Xu, Yun Liu, Tian-Cheng Xu, Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
Meng-Ying Zhao, College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
Jin-Ai Wang, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, School of Acupuncture and Tuina, School of Health and Rehabilitation, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
Guan-Hu Yang, Department of Specialty Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, United States
Guan-Hu Yang, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao 999078, China
Co-first authors: Yu-Jue Wang and Shuai-Yan Wang.
Co-corresponding authors: Yun Liu and Tian-Cheng Xu.
Author contributions: Wang YJ, Wang SY, Li ZM, and Zhao MY wrote the first draft of the manuscript; Wang YJ and Wang SY contributed equally to this article, they are the co-first authors of this manuscript; Zhou M and Xie CY responsible for drafting and organizing the forms; Wang JA responsible for graphical abstract; Xu B, Yang GH, and Xu TC reviewed the manuscript and critically revised it for important intellectual content; Liu Y and Xu TC were responsible for the idea and conceptual framework, they contributed equally to this article, they are the co-corresponding authors of this manuscript; and all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Science Fund Project, No. 82305376; the Young Talent Support Program of the China Association for Acupuncture-Moxibustion, No. 2024-2026ZGZJXH-QNRC005; the 2024 Jiangsu Provincial Young Scientific and Technological Talent Support Program, No. JSTJ-2024-380; and Talent Cultivation Program for Young Researchers, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education Project, No. Zyqt202501 and No. Zyqt202503.
AI contribution statement: AI tools (Doubao) were used solely for linguistic refinement and formatting assistance. It should be clearly stated that no AI-generated writing content was used throughout the entire writing and revision process.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Tian-Cheng Xu, Associate Professor, Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 138 Xianlin Avenue, Qixia District, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China.
Received: January 12, 2026
Revised: February 13, 2026
Accepted: March 17, 2026
Published online: May 15, 2026
Processing time: 121 Days and 20.5 Hours
Revised: February 13, 2026
Accepted: March 17, 2026
Published online: May 15, 2026
Processing time: 121 Days and 20.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Sustained exposure of pancreatic macrophages to metabolic stress (e.g., obe