Changes in microsomal membrane phospholipids and fatty acids and in activities of membrane-bound enzyme in diabetic rat heart

Mechanisms of Kaempferol in the treatment of diabetes: A comprehensive and latest review

Obesity-insulin resistance-β-cells apoptosis" is an important trilogy of the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. With the global pandemic of obesity and diabetes, continuous research and development of new drugs focuses on the prevention of the pathological progress of these diseases. According to a recent study, the natural product kaempferol has excellent antidiabetic effects. Therefore, this review comprehensively summarized the frontier studies and pharmacological mechanisms of kaempferol in the treatment of diabetes. The successful research and development of kaempferol may yield a significant leap in the treatment of diabetes and its complications.

Metabolic Profiling of the Diabetic Heart: Toward a Richer Picture

The increasing global prevalence of diabetes has been accompanied by a rise in diabetes-related conditions. This includes diabetic cardiomyopathy (DbCM), a progressive form of heart disease that occurs with both insulin-dependent (type-1) and insulin-independent (type-2) diabetes and arises in the absence of hypertension or coronary artery disease. Over time, DbCM can develop into overt heart failure. Like other forms of cardiomyopathy, DbCM is accompanied by alterations in metabolism which could lead to further progression of the pathology, with metabolic derangement postulated to precede functional changes in the diabetic heart. Moreover in the case of type-2 diabetes, underlying insulin resistance is likely to prevent the canonical substrate switch of the failing heart away from fatty acid oxidation toward increased use of glycolysis. Analytical chemistry techniques, collectively known as metabolomics, are useful tools for investigating the condition. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of those studies that have employed metabolomic techniques, namely chromatography, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, to profile metabolic remodeling in the diabetic heart of human patients and animal models. These studies collectively demonstrate that glycolysis and glucose oxidation are suppressed in the diabetic myocardium and highlight a complex picture regarding lipid metabolism. The diabetic heart typically shows an increased reliance on fatty acid oxidation, yet triacylglycerols and other lipids accumulate in the diabetic myocardium indicating probable lipotoxicity. The application of lipidomic techniques to the diabetic heart has identified specific lipid species that become enriched and which may in turn act as plasma-borne biomarkers for the condition. Metabolomics is proving to be a powerful approach, allowing a much richer analysis of the metabolic alterations that occur in the diabetic heart. Careful physiological interpretation of metabolomic results will now be key in order to establish which aspects of the metabolic derangement are causal to the progression of DbCM and might form the basis for novel therapeutic intervention.

Memory Improvement Effect of Ethanol Garlic (A. sativum) Extract in Streptozotocin-Nicotinamide Induced Diabetic Wistar Rats Is Mediated through Increasing of Hippocampal Sodium-Potassium ATPase, Glutamine Synthetase, and Calcium ATPase Activities

Studies suggest that garlic (A. sativum) improves memory dependent on the hippocampus. However, the effect of ethanol garlic extract on hippocampus Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase, Ca²⁺ ATPase, and glutamine synthetase (GS) activities as possible mechanisms in memory improvement in diabetic Wistar rats has not been reported. Twenty-four male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were divided into three groups with 8 rats each. Group (A), normal control rats, and Group (B), diabetic rats, received 1 ml of normal saline; diabetic rats in Group (C) received 1000 mg/kg of garlic extract orally for 21 days. Hyperglycemia was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin 60 mg/kg followed by 120 mg/kg nicotinamide while extraction of garlic was done by cold maceration method. Memory was tested in all groups. After that, the rats were sacrificed, the brain was removed, and the hippocampi were carefully excised and then homogenized. Activities of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase, calcium ATPase, and GS were analyzed from the homogenate. Results showed improvement in memory and a significant increase (P < 0.05) in hippocampus Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase, Ca²⁺ ATPase, and GS activities in diabetic rats treated with garlic extract. In conclusion, the increased activity of hippocampus Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase, calcium ATPase, and glutamine synthetase may account for the memory improvement.

Myocyte membrane and microdomain modifications in diabetes: determinants of ischemic tolerance and cardioprotection

Cardiovascular disease, predominantly ischemic heart disease (IHD), is the leading cause of death in diabetes mellitus (DM). In addition to eliciting cardiomyopathy, DM induces a ‘wicked triumvirate’: (i) increasing the risk and incidence of IHD and myocardial ischemia; (ii) decreasing myocardial tolerance to ischemia–reperfusion (I–R) injury; and (iii) inhibiting or eliminating responses to cardioprotective stimuli. Changes in ischemic tolerance and cardioprotective signaling may contribute to substantially higher mortality and morbidity following ischemic insult in DM patients. Among the diverse mechanisms implicated in diabetic impairment of ischemic tolerance and cardioprotection, changes in sarcolemmal makeup may play an overarching role and are considered in detail in the current review. Observations predominantly in animal models reveal DM-dependent changes in membrane lipid composition (cholesterol and triglyceride accumulation, fatty acid saturation vs. reduced desaturation, phospholipid remodeling) that contribute to modulation of caveolar domains, gap junctions and T-tubules. These modifications influence sarcolemmal biophysical properties, receptor and phospholipid signaling, ion channel and transporter functions, contributing to contractile and electrophysiological dysfunction, cardiomyopathy, ischemic intolerance and suppression of protective signaling. A better understanding of these sarcolemmal abnormalities in types I and II DM (T1DM, T2DM) can inform approaches to limiting cardiomyopathy, associated IHD and their consequences. Key knowledge gaps include details of sarcolemmal changes in models of T2DM, temporal patterns of lipid, microdomain and T-tubule changes during disease development, and the precise impacts of these diverse sarcolemmal modifications. Importantly, exercise, dietary, pharmacological and gene approaches have potential for improving sarcolemmal makeup, and thus myocyte function and stress-resistance in this ubiquitous metabolic disorder.

Diosgenin reorganises hyperglycaemia and distorted tissue lipid profile in high-fat diet-streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

BACKGROUND

Diabetes is often connected with significant morbidity, mortality and also has a pivotal role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Diet intervention, particularly naturaceutical antioxidants have anti-diabetic potential and avert oxidative damage linked with diabetic pathogenesis. The present study investigated the effects of diosgenin, a saponin from fenugreek, on the changes in lipid profile in plasma, liver, heart and brain in high-fat diet-streptozotocin (HFD-STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diosgenin was administered to HFD-STZ induced diabetic rats by orally at 60 mg kg(-1) body weight for 30 days to assess its effects on body weight gain, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids and phospholipids in plasma, liver, heart and brain.

RESULTS

The levels of body weight, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, phospholipids, VLDL-C and LDL-C were increased significantly (P < 0.05) whereas HDL-C level decreased in the HFD/STZ diabetic rats. Administration of diosgenin to HFD-STZ diabetic rats caused a decrease in body weight gain, blood glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and also it modulated lipid profile in plasma and tissues.

CONCLUSION

The traditional plant fenugreek and its constituents mediate its anti-diabetic potential through mitigating hyperglycaemic status, altering insulin resistance by alleviating metabolic dysregulation of lipid profile in both plasma and tissues.

Influence of kaempferol, a flavonoid compound, on membrane-bound ATPases in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

CONTEXT

Kaempferol is a flavonoid found in many edible plants (e.g. tea, cabbage, beans, tomato, strawberries, and grapes) and in plants or botanical products commonly used in traditional medicine. Numerous preclinical studies have shown that kaempferol have a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic activities.

OBJECTIVE

The present study investigates the effect of kaempferol on membrane-bound ATPases in erythrocytes and in liver, kidney, and heart of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Diabetes was induced into adult male albino rats of the Wistar strain, by intraperitoneal administration of STZ (40 mg/kg body weight (BW)). Kaempferol (100 mg/kg BW) or glibenclamide (600 µg/kg BW) was administered orally once daily for 45 d to normal and STZ-induced diabetic rats. The effects of kaempferol on membrane-bound ATPases (total ATPase, Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-ATPase, and Mg(2+)-ATPase) activity in erythrocytes and in liver, kidney, and heart were determined.

RESULTS

In our study, diabetic rats had significantly (p < 0.05) decreased activities of total ATPases, Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-ATPase, and Mg(2+)-ATPase in erythrocytes and tissues. Oral administration of kaempferol (100 mg/kg BW) or glibenclamide (600 µg/kg BW) for a period of 45 d resulted in significant (p < 0.05) reversal of these enzymes' activities to near normal in erythrocytes and tissues when compared with diabetic control rats.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Thus, obtained results indicate that administration of kaempferol has the potential to restore deranged activity of membrane-bound ATPases in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Further detailed investigation is necessary to discover kaempferol's action mechanism.

Mechanisms of subcellular remodeling in heart failure due to diabetes

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is not only associated with heart failure but there also occurs a loss of the positive inotropic effect of different agents. It is now becoming clear that cardiac dysfunction in chronic diabetes is intimately involved with Ca(2+)-handling abnormalities, metabolic defects and impaired sensitivity of myofibrils to Ca(2+) in cardiomyocytes. On the other hand, loss of the inotropic effect in diabetic myocardium is elicited by changes in signal transduction mechanisms involving hormone receptors and depressions in phosphorylation of various membrane proteins. Ca(2+)-handling abnormalities in the diabetic heart occur mainly due to defects in sarcolemmal Na(+)-K(+) ATPase, Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchange, Na(+)-H(+) exchange, Ca(2+)-channels and Ca(2+)-pump activities as well as changes in sarcoplasmic reticular Ca(2+)-uptake and Ca(2+)-release processes; these alterations may lead to the occurrence of intracellular Ca(2+) overload. Metabolic defects due to insulin deficiency or ineffectiveness as well as hormone imbalance in diabetes are primarily associated with a shift in substrate utilization and changes in the oxidation of fatty acids in cardiomyocytes. Mitochondria initially seem to play an adaptive role in serving as a Ca(2+) sink, but the excessive utilization of long-chain fatty acids for a prolonged period results in the generation of oxidative stress and impairment of their function in the diabetic heart. In view of the activation of sympathetic nervous system and renin-angiotensin system as well as platelet aggregation, endothelial dysfunction and generation of oxidative stress in diabetes and blockade of their effects have been shown to attenuate subcellular remodeling, metabolic derangements and signal transduction abnormalities in the diabetic heart. On the basis of these observations, it is suggested that oxidative stress and subcellular remodeling due to hormonal imbalance and metabolic defects play a critical role in the genesis of heart failure during the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum: mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum interplay in type 2 diabetes pathophysiology

Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are two important metabolic organelles for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and their functional defects are suspected to participate to the aetiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Particularly, excessive lipid intake and/or ectopic lipid accumulation in tissues (referred as lipotoxicity) are involved in alterations of both organelles and are closely linked to peripheral insulin resistance and defective insulin secretion. Since, mitochondria and ER are physically and functionally interconnected, their respective alterations during T2D could be interrelated. However, the mechanisms that coordinate the interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress, and its relevance in the control of glucose homeostasis are unknown. Among these mechanisms, we will discuss on the potential role of altered mitochondria/ER crosstalk in organelle dysfunctions and in T2D pathophysiology.

Maternal arachidonic acid supplementation improves neurodevelopment of offspring from healthy and diabetic rats

Maternal diabetes may compromise infant arachidonic acid status and development. This study tested if maternal arachidonic acid supplementation improves neurodevelopment in rat offspring. Dams were randomized into 6 groups using a 3x2 design: Saline-Placebo, streptozotocin-induced diabetes with glucose controlled at <13mmol/L, or poorly controlled at 13-20mmol/L using insulin; and fed either control or an arachidonic acid (0.5% of fat) diet throughout reproduction. Offspring were tested on post-natal days 3 and 5 for righting response, days 7 and 9 for negative geotaxis, day 14 for wire hanging endurance, days 18 and 24 for rota rod endurance, and day 28 for Morris water maze performance. Only the poorly controlled group had impaired day 7 geotaxis and day 18 rota rod performance (p<0.02), but this improved with maternal arachidonic acid supplementation (p<0.0006). Arachidonic acid improved the wire hanging endurance (p=0.0003) and water maze latency (p=0.0021), suggesting enhanced neurodevelopment in all offspring.

Alteration of Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in the homogenate, plasma membrane and microsomes of the salivary glands of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Diabetes has been implicated in the dryness of the mouth, loss of taste sensation, sialosis, and other disorders of the oral cavity, by impairment of the salivary glands. The aim of the present study was to examine the plasma membrane, microsomal, and homogenate Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in the rat submandibular and parotid salivary glands of streptozotocin-induced diabetes. We have also examined the influence of the acidosis state on this parameter. Diabetes was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and acidosis was induced by daily injection of NH(4)Cl. At 15 and 30 days after diabetes induction, the animals were euthanized and the submandibular and parotid salivary glands were removed and analyzed. Ca(2+)-ATPase (total, independent, and dependent) was determined in the homogenate, microsomal, and plasma membranes of the salivary glands of diabetic and control rats. Calcium concentration was also determined in the glands and showed to be higher in the diabetic animals. Ca(2+)-ATPase activity was found to be reduced in all cell fractions studied in the diabetic animals compared with control. Similar results were obtained for the submandibular salivary glands of acidotic animals; however in the parotid salivary glands it was found an increase in the enzyme activity.

Hyperglycemia-induced alterations in synaptosomal membrane fluidity and activity of membrane bound enzymes: beneficial effect of N-acetylcysteine supplementation

Diabetic encephalopathy is characterized by impaired cognitive functions that appear to underlie neuronal damage triggered by glucose driven oxidative stress. Hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress in diabetic brain may initiate structural and functional changes in synaptosomal membranes. The objective of the present study was to examine the neuroprotective role of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in hyperglycemia-induced alterations in lipid composition and activity of membrane bound enzymes (Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)-ATPase) in the rodent model of type 1 diabetes. Male Wistar rats weighing between 180 and 200 g were rendered diabetic by a single injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg body weight, i.p.). The diabetic animals were administered NAC (1.4-1.5 g/kg body weight) for eight weeks and lipid composition along with membrane fluidity were determined. A significant increase in lipid peroxidation was observed in cerebral cortex of diabetic rats. NAC administration on the other hand lowered the hyperglycemia-induced lipid peroxidation to near control levels. The increased lipid peroxidation following chronic hyperglycemia was accompanied by a significant increase in the total lipids which can be attributed to increase in the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and glycolipids. On the contrary phospholipid and ganglioside levels were decreased. Hyperglycemia-induced increase in cholesterol to phospholipid ratio reflected decrease in membrane fluidity. Fluorescence polarization (p) with DPH also confirmed decrease in synaptosomal membrane fluidity that influenced the activity of membrane bound enzymes. An inverse correlation was found between fluorescence polarization with the activities of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase (r(2)=0.416, P<0.05) and Ca(2+) ATPase (r(2)=0.604, P<0.05). NAC was found to significantly improve lipid composition, restore membrane fluidity and activity of membrane bound enzymes. Our results clearly suggest perturbations in lipid composition and membrane fluidity as a major factor in the development of diabetic encephalopathy. Furthermore, NAC administration ameliorated the effect of hyperglycemia on oxidative stress and alterations in lipid composition thereby restoring membrane fluidity and activity of membrane bound enzymes.

Effect of alloxan diabetes and subsequent insulin treatment on temperature kinetics properties of succinate oxidase activity in rat kidney mitochondria

Early and late effects of alloxan diabetes and subsequent treatment with insulin on the temperature kinetics properties of succinate oxidase (SO) activity in rat kidney mitochondria were examined. In diabetic animals SO activity increased significantly and the increase was more pronounced at the late stage. Insulin treatment partially restored SO activity. However, the effect was temperature-dependent. In diabetic animals the energy of activation in the low temperature range (E(L)) increased significantly while that in the high temperature range (E(H)) decreased. The latter seems to be responsible for improving catalytic efficiency in the diabetic state. Insulin treatment normalized E(H) only in the 1-month diabetic group. The phase transition temperature (Tt), decreased in diabetic animals. Insulin treatment caused an increase beyond the control value in Tt in 1-month diabetic animals. The results suggest that insulin status-dependent modulation of SO activity is a complex process.

Low contribution of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to plasma and erythrocyte membrane lipids in diabetic young adults

Hypoinsulinemia characteristic to type 1 diabetes may theoretically inhibit the conversion of essential fatty acids to their longer-chain metabolites. Fatty acids were determined in plasma and erythrocyte membrane lipids in young diabetic adults (n=34) and in age-matched healthy controls (n=36). Values of linoleic acid (56.01 [5.02] versus 51.05 [7.32], % by wt, median [range from the first to the third quartile], P<0.00l) and arachidonic acid (AA) (11.17 [2.98] versus 9.69 [1.95] P<0.001) were significantly higher in diabetic subjects than in controls. However, alpha-linolenic acid values did not differ, and docosahexaenoic acid (0.43 [0.12] versus 0.57 [0.29], P<0.01) values were significantly lower in diabetic than in control subjects. Significant inverse correlations were found between AA and hemoglobin A(1c) values in the phospholipid (r=-0.40, P<0.05) and sterol ester (r=-0.40, P<0.05) fractions. The data obtained in the present study suggest that the availability of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid may be reduced in young diabetic adults.

Insulin status-dependent alterations in lipid/phospholipid composition of rat kidney microsomes and mitochondria

Early and late effects of alloxan-diabetes on lipid/phospholipid composition in rat kidney microsomes and mitochondria were examined. In microsomes, early diabetic state resulted in an increase in contents of total phospholipids (TPL), cholesterol (CHL), with an increase in the lysophospholipids (Lyso), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylinositol (PI) components. The sphingomyelin (SPM), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS), and phosphatidic acid (PA) content decreased. Treatment with insulin had no effect on PC but PE increased and the other components decreased. In the 1-month diabetic group PI, PS, PE, and PA components decreased, whereas Lyso and PC increased. Treatment with insulin had restorative effects on PE, PI, and PS; Lyso was further elevated whereas PA decreased. In mitochondria, at an early stage of diabetes marginally increased CHL content was restored by insulin treatment. Long-term diabetes lowered the TPL and elevated the CHL content. Treatment with insulin partially restored the TPL and CHL content. A diabetic state decreased the proportion of PE and diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG) components but increased the Lyso, SPM, PC, PI, and PS components in the mitochondria. Treatment with insulin had a partial restorative effect. The membrane fluidity of both microsomes and mitochondria decreased in general in the diabetic condition and was not corrected by insulin treatment at a late stage. However, at an early stage, treatment with insulin fluidized both membranes.

Green tea impedes dyslipidemia, lipid peroxidation, protein glycation and ameliorates Ca2+-ATPase and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in the heart of streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Diabetes-induced hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress and protein glycation impair cellular calcium and sodium homeostasis associated with abnormal membrane-bound enzyme activities resulting in cardiac dysfunction in diabetes. To explore the cardioprotective mechanism of green tea in diabetes, we measured the changes in the levels of calcium, sodium, potassium and the activities of Na+/K+ -ATPase and Ca2+ -ATPase in green tea treated diabetic rat hearts. The effect of green tea on triglycerides, lipid peroxidation and protein glycation in diabetic heart were also measured to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (STZ, 60 mg/kg i.p.). Six weeks after the induction of diabetes, some of the diabetic rats were treated orally with green tea extract (GTE) (300 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks. GTE produced reduction in blood glucose and lowered the levels of lipid peroxides, triglycerides and extent of protein glycation in the heart of diabetic rats. GTE blunted the rise in cardiac [Ca2+] and [Na+] whereas increased the activities of Ca2+ -ATPase and Na+/K+ -ATPase in diabetic rats. In conclusion, the data provide support to the therapeutic effect of GTE and suggest that a possible mechanism of action may be associated with the attenuation of the rise in [Ca2+] and [Na+] by ameliorating Ca2+ -ATPase and Na+/K+ -ATPase activities.

Insulin-status-dependent modulation of FoF1-ATPase activity in rat liver mitochondria

Early and late effects of alloxan diabetes and insulin treatment on mitochondrial membrane structure and function were evaluated by studying the kinetic properties of mitochondrial membrane marker enzyme FoF1-ATPase and its modulation by membrane lipid/phospholipid composition and membrane fluidity. Under all experimental conditions the enzyme displayed three kinetically distinguishable components. In 1 wk-old diabetic animals the enzyme activity was unchanged; however, K(m) and V(max) of component I increased and K(m) of component II decreased. Insulin treatment resulted in lowering of K(m) and V(max) of components II and Ill. One-mon diabetic state resulted in decreased enzyme activity, whereas insulin treatment caused hyperstimulation. K(m) of components I and II decreased together with decreased V(max) of all the components. Insulin treatment restored the K(m) and V(max) values. In late-stage diabetes the catalytic efficiency of components I and II increased; insulin treatment had drastic adverse effect. Binding pattern of ATP was unchanged under all experimental conditions. Diabetic state resulted in progressive decrease in energy of activation in the low temperature range (E(L)). Insulin treatment lowered the energy of activation in the high temperature range (E(H)) without correcting the E(L) values. The phase transition temperatures increased in diabetic state and were not corrected by insulin treatment. Long-term diabetes lowered the total phospholipid content and elevated the cholesterol content; insulin treatment had partial restorative effect. The membrane fluidity decreased in general in diabetic condition and was not corrected by insulin treatment at late stage. Regression analysis studies suggest that specific phospholipid classes and/or their ratios may play a role in modulation of the enzyme activity.

Effect of alloxan-diabetes and subsequent treatment with insulin on lipid/phospholipid composition of rat brain microsomes and mitochondria

Early and late effects of alloxan-diabetes of lipid/phospholipid composition of rat brain microsomes and mitochondria were examined. In microsomes, early as well as late diabetic stages resulted in decrease in contents of total phospholipids (TPL) and increase in cholesterol (CHL). Insulin treatment restored TPL with further increase in CHL in 1 week group. In early diabetic stage there was increase in the sphingomyelin (SPM) while phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylserine (PS) components decreased. Insulin treatment restored SPM and decreased the lysophospholipids (Lyso), PI, PS and phosphatidic acid (PA); phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) increased. In 1 month diabetic group phosphatidylcholine (PC) decreased while PI, PS and PE increased. Insulin treatment lowered the Lyso, SPM, PI, PS and PA while PC and PE increased. In mitochondria, at early stage of diabetes both CHL and TPL contents decreased; insulin treatment restored the former component. Late diabetic stage had no effect on CHL and TPL contents; insulin treatment brought about reduction in both. Diabetic state had marginal effect on phospholipid composition at both the stages. Insulin treatment had a generalized effect of lowering of PI and PS components and increasing diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG). The fluidity of microsomal membranes decreased progressively in the diabetic condition; insulin treatment fluidized the membrane at early stage. The fluidity of mitochondrial membranes increased in early diabetic stage and the effect was accentuated by insulin treatment. However, at the late stage the effects on membrane fluidity were marginal.

Cardiac mitochondrial alterations induced by insulin deficiency and hyperinsulinaemia in rats: targeting membrane homeostasis with trimetazidine

The present study investigated the ability of trimetazidine (TMZ) to maintain cardiac mitochondrial function during the development of insulin deficiency and hyperinsulinaemia. The anti-ischaemic drug TMZ is known to increase phospholipid synthesis in cardiac membranes and to have a cardioprotective effect. Insulin deficiency was obtained by streptozotocin injection and hyperinsulinaemia was achieved via a fructose diet. Trimetazidine was incorporated into the diet (7.8 mg/day) and mitochondrial function was evaluated in skinned cardiac fibres. Insulin deficiency decreased mitochondrial affinity for ADP and the index of creatine kinase functional activity. This last alteration was partially prevented by TMZ treatment. Insulin deficiency strongly decreased n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content, in cardiac and mitochondrial membranes, inducing a strong increase in the n-6/n-3 ratio. Trimetazidine treatment limited the increase in the n-6/n-3 ratio and prevented the decrease in DHA content in mitochondrial membranes. Insulin deficiency decreased glutamate- and palmitoylcarnitine-supported respiration. Hyperinsulinaemia affected neither mitochondrial affinity for ADP nor the index of creatine kinase functional activity. Hyperinsulinaemia slightly and significantly affected mitochondrial fatty acid composition, by a small increase the n-6/n-3 ratio. Trimetazidine did not modify membrane-bound mitochondrial function but increased the n-6/n-3 ratio. Moreover, hyperinsulinaemia decreased glutamate-supported respiration. In conclusion, modification of membrane homeostasis with TMZ partially prevented the alterations in fatty acid composition and function in cardiac mitochondria induced by insulin deficiency. Three months of hyperinsulinaemia did not modify membrane-bound mitochondrial function and had only slight effects on fatty acid composition.

Improvement of defective sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+transport in diabetic heart of transgenic rats expressing the human kallikrein‐1 gene

The bradykinin-forming enzyme kallikrein-1 is expressed in the heart. To examine whether contractile performance and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ transport of the diabetic heart can be rescued by targeting the kallikrein-kinin system, we studied left ventricular function and sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+ uptake after induction of streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus in transgenic rats expressing the human tissue kallikrein-1 gene. Six weeks after a single injection of either streptozotocin (70 mg/kg ip) or vehicle, left ventricular performance was determined using a Millar-Tip catheter system. The Ca2+-transporting activity of reticulum-derived membrane vesicles was determined in left ventricular homogenates as oxalate-supported 45Ca2+ uptake. Western blot analysis was used to quantify the reticular Ca2+-ATPase SERCA2a, phospholamban, and the phosphorylation status of the latter. Contractile performance and Ca2+ uptake activity were similar in nondiabetic wild-type and transgenic rats. Severely diabetic wild-type animals exhibited impaired left ventricular performance and decreased reticular Ca2+ uptake (-39% vs. wild-type rats, P<0.05, respectively). These changes were attenuated in diabetic transgenic rats that, in addition, exhibited a markedly increased phospholamban phosphorylation at the Ca2+/calmodulin kinase-specific site threonine17 (2.2-fold vs. diabetic wild-type rats, P<0.05). These transgene-related effects were abolished after treatment with the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist icatibant (Hoe 140). The SERCA2-to-phospholamban ratio, phosphoserine16-phospholamban levels, and the apparent affinity for Ca2+ of the uptake reaction did not differ between the groups. Increasing the activity of the kallikrein-kinin system by expressing a human kallikrein-1 transgene protects rat heart against diabetes-induced contractile and reticular Ca2+ transport dysfunctions. An increased phosphorylation of the SERCA2 regulatory protein phospholamban at threonine17 via a B2 receptor-mediated mechanism is thereby involved.

20-HETE and circulating insulin in essential hypertension with obesity

Analogous to observations in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats, we have shown that 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) is involved in the pathogenesis of SS essential hypertension. A strong negative correlation between urine 20-HETE and body mass index (BMI) remains unexplained. We measured BP, urine sodium (UNaV), and 20-HETE in obese hypertensive subjects during a 24-hour salt load (160 mmol NaCl diet+2 L intravenous saline). We classified them into insulin-resistant (IR) (n=14) and insulin-sensitive (IS) (n=12), with the average insulin sensitivity index (SI=22.5x[fasting glucose x insulin](-1)) of 3 days (cutoff for IR, SI <0.161 mL x L/microU x mmol). IR were older (50+/-1 versus 44+/-2, P<0.03), more obese (BMI 38.2+/-1.4 versus 32.0+/-1.5 kg/m2, P<0.01), and had higher insulin (39.2+/-2.3 versus 22.0+/-1.1 microU/mL, P<0.0001) and lower SI (0.084+/-0.009 versus 0.222+/-0.013, P<0.0001) than IS. Blood pressure, UNaV, and sodium balance did not differ between groups. SI correlated negatively with age (r=-0.39, P<0.05) and BMI (r=-0.53, P<0.01). Urine 20-HETE was less in IR than in IS when normalized by serum insulin (0.91+/-0.25 versus 2.24+/-0.46 microg. 24 hours(-1)/microU x mL(-1), P<0.02), but not if uncorrected. Urinary 20-HETE excretion correlated negatively with insulin (r=-0.40, P<0.04), whereas the relationship between 20-HETE and SI was not statistically significant. Our data suggest that increased circulating insulin, not the state of insulin resistance, suppresses urine 20-HETE excretion in obese hypertensive subjects. Findings in experimental models suggest that an inhibitory effect of insulin on cytochrome P4504A, rather than effects of insulin on membrane-bound arachidonic acid or on its release to the cytosol, may explain our observation.

Docosahexaenoic acid affects insulin deficiency- and insulin resistance-induced alterations in cardiac mitochondria

The effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake on cardiac mitochondrial function was evaluated in permeabilized fibers in insulin deficiency and insulin resistance in rats. The insulin-deficient state was obtained by streptozotocin injection 2 mo before investigations. Insulin resistance was obtained by feeding a 62% fructose diet for 3 mo. DHA was incorporated in the diet to modify the fatty acid composition of cardiac membranes, including mitochondria. Insulin deficiency decreased mitochondrial creatine kinase (mi-CK) activity and mitochondrial sensitivity to ADP. DHA intake prevented these alterations. Moreover, the insulin-deficient state significantly decreased n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and slightly increased n-6 PUFA in both cardiac and mitochondrial membranes, inducing a significant increase in the n-6-to-n-3 ratio. DHA intake maintained high myocardial and mitochondrial DHA content. Insulin deficiency also decreased glutamate- and palmitoylcarnitine-supported mitochondrial respiration, but DHA intake did not prevent these effects. In contrast, insulin resistance did not affect mi-CK activity or sensitivity to ADP. However, insulin resistance influenced the myocardial fatty acid composition with decreased n-6 and n-3 PUFA contents and increased monounsaturated fatty acid content. Only slight alterations were observed in mitochondrial fatty acid composition, and they were corrected by DHA intake. Moreover, insulin resistance decreased the glutamate-supported respiration, and DHA intake did not influence this effect. In conclusion, the impairment of cardiac mitochondrial function was more pronounced in the insulin-deficient state than in insulin resistance. The modification of fatty acid composition of cardiac and mitochondrial membranes by DHA partially prevented the mitochondrial alterations induced in the two models.

Dietary n-3 PUFAs affect the blood pressure rise and cardiac impairments in a hyperinsulinemia rat model in vivo

The cardiovascular consequences of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)- and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-specific intake were evaluated in vivo in a hyperinsulinemia (HI) model induced by dietary fructose intake. Wistar rats were fed a diet containing (or not for control) either EPA or DHA. The rise in blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and ECG were continuously monitored using an intra-abdominal telemetry system. The myocardial phospholipid fatty acid profile was significantly affected by DHA intake but less by EPA intake. The data indicated a reduced rise in BP in both DHA and EPA HI groups compared with controls. This result was confirmed by tail-cuff measurement after 5 wk [133.3 +/- 1.67 and 142.5 +/- 1.12 mmHg in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and control groups, respectively], whereas n-3 PUFA did not affect BP in non-HI rats (116.3 +/- 3.33 mmHg). The heart rate was lower in the HI DHA group than in the other two dietary HI groups. Moreover, DHA induced a significantly shorter QT interval. It is concluded that the cardioactive component of fish oils is DHA through a mechanism that may involve the cardiac adrenergic system.

Effects of vitamin E on microsomal Ca(2+) -ATPase activity and calcium levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat kidney

Vitamin E treatment has been found to be beneficial in preventing or reducing diabetic nephropathy. Increased tissue calcium and abnormal microsomal Ca(2+)-ATPase activity have been suggested as contributing factors in the development of diabetic nephropathy. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that vitamin E reduces lipid peroxidation and can prevent the abnormalities in microsomal Ca(2+)-ATPase activity and calcium levels in kidney of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Male rats were rendered diabetic by a single STZ injection (55 mg x kg(-1) i.p.). After diabetes was verified, diabetic and age-matched control rats were untreated or treated with vitamin E (400-500 IU kg(-1) x day(-1), orally) for 10 weeks. Ca(2+)-ATPase activity and lipid peroxidation (MDA) were determined spectrophotometrically. Blood glucose levels increased approximately five-fold (> 500 mg x dl(-1)) in untreated-diabetic rats but decreased to 340+/-27 mg x dl(-1) in the vitamin E treated-diabetic group. Kidney MDA levels did not significantly change in the diabetic state. However, vitamin E treatment markedly inhibited MDA levels in both control and diabetic animals. Ca(2+)-ATPase activity was 0.483+/-0.008 U l(-1) in the control group and significantly increased to 0.754+/-0.010 U l(-1) in the STZ-diabetic group (p < 0.001). Vitamin E treatment completely prevented the diabetes-induced increase in Ca(2+)-ATPase activity (0.307+/-0.025 U l(-1), p < 0.001) and also reduced the enzyme activity in normal control rats. STZ-diabetes resulted in approximately two-fold increase in total calcium content of kidney. Vitamin E treatment led to a significant reduction in kidney calcium levels of both control and diabetic animals (p < 0.001). Thus, vitamin E treatment can lower blood glucose and lipid peroxidation, which in turn prevents the abnormalities in kidney calcium metabolism of diabetic rats. This study describes a potential biochemical mechanism by which vitamin E supplementation may delay or inhibit the development of cellular damage and nephropathy in diabetes.

In vivo treatment with stobadine prevents lipid peroxidation, protein glycation and calcium overload but does not ameliorate Ca2+ -ATPase activity in heart and liver of streptozotocin-diabetic rats: comparison with vitamin E

Hyperglycemia leads to excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation and protein glycation that may impair cellular calcium homeostasis and results in calcium sequestration and dysfunction in diabetic tissues. Stobadine (ST) is a pyridoindole antioxidant has been postulated as a new cardio- and neuroprotectant. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the treatment with ST inhibits calcium accumulation, reduces lipid peroxidation and protein glycation and can change Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity in diabetic animals. The effects of vitamin E treatment were also evaluated and compared with the effects of combined treatment with ST. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg i.p.). Some of diabetic rats and their age-matched controls were treated orally with a low dose of ST (24.7 mg/kg/day), vitamin E (400-500 IU/kg/day) or ST plus vitamin E for 10 weeks. ST and vitamin E separately produced, in a similar degree, reduction in diabetes-induced hyperglycemia. Each antioxidant alone significantly lowered the levels of plasma lipid peroxidation, cardiac and hepatic protein glycation in diabetic rats but vitamin E treatment was found to be more effective than ST treatment alone. Diabetes-induced increase in plasma triacylglycerol levels was not significantly altered by vitamin E treatment but markedly reduced by ST alone. The treatment with each antioxidant completely prevented calcium accumulation in diabetic heart and liver. Microsomal Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity significantly decreased in both tissues of untreated diabetic rats. ST alone significantly increased microsomal Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity in the heart of normal rats. However, neither treatment with ST nor vitamin E alone, nor their combination did change cardiac Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity in diabetic heart. In normal rats, neither antioxidant had a significant effect on hepatic Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity. Hepatic Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity of diabetic rats was not changed by single treatment with ST, while vitamin E alone completely prevented diabetes-induced inhibition in microsomal Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity in liver. Combined treatment with ST and vitamin E provided more benefits in the reduction of hyperglycemia and lipid peroxidation in diabetic animals. This study describes potential mechanisms on cellular effects of ST in the presence of diabetes-induced hyperglycemia that may delay or inhibit the development of diabetic complications. The use of ST together with vitamin E can better control hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress.

Delta6-, Stearoyl CoA-, and Delta5-desaturase enzymes are expressed in beta-cells and are altered by increases in exogenous PUFA concentrations

In the evolution of Type II diabetes, an initial period of hyper-fatty acidemia leads to an insulin secretory defect which triggers overt hyperglycemia and frank diabetes. The mechanism by which elevated free fatty acids contribute to beta-cell dysfunction, however, is not clearly understood. We recently reported that arachidonic acid (20:4) or linoleic acid (18:2) supplementations result in increases in abundances of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in INS-1 beta-cell membrane lipids, suggesting that beta-cells express desaturases that catalyze generation of unsaturated fatty acids. As expression of desaturases by beta-cells has not yet been addressed, we initiated studies to examine this issue using INS-1 beta-cells and find that they express messages for the Delta6-, stearoyl CoA-, and Delta5-desaturase. Supplementation of the INS-1 beta-cells with arachidonic acid leads to decreased expression of all three desaturases, presumably in response to the decreased need for endogenous generation of unsaturated fatty acids. In contrast, linoleic acid supplementation promoted minimal changes in the three desaturases. These findings demonstrate for the first time that beta-cells express regulatable desaturases. Additionally, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses reveal expression of the desaturases in native pancreatic islets. It might be speculated that long-term elevations in fatty acids can also adversely influence desaturase activity in beta-cells and affect PUFA composition in beta-cell membranes contributing to beta-cell membrane structural abnormalities and altered secretory function.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analyses of changes in tissue phospholipid molecular species during the evolution of hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia in Zucker diabetic fatty rats

The Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat is a genetic model of type II diabetes mellitus in which males homozygous for nonfunctional leptin receptors (fa/fa) develop obesity, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia, but rats homozygous for normal receptors (+/+) remain lean and normoglycemic. Insulin resistance develops in young fa/fa rats and is followed by evolution of an insulin secretory defect that triggers hyperglycemia. Because insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity are affected by membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition, we have determined whether metabolic abnormalities in fa/fa rats are associated with changes in tissue phospholipids. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analyses of glycerophosphocholine (GPC) and glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE) molecular species from tissues of prediabetic (6 wk of age) and overtly diabetic (12 wk) fa/fa rats and from +/+ rats of the same ages indicate that arachidonate-containing species from heart, aorta, and liver of prediabetic fa/fa rats made a smaller contribution to GPC total ion current than was the case for +/+ rats. There was a correspondingly larger contribution from species with sn-2 oleate or linoleate substituents in fa/fa heart and aorta. The relative contributions of arachidonate-containing GPC species increased in these tissues as fa/fa rats aged and were equal to or greater than those for +/+ rats by 12 wk. For heart and aorta, relative contributions from GPE species with sn-2 arachidonate or docosahexaenoate substituents to the total ion current increased and those from species with sn-2 oleate or linoleate substituents fell as fa/fa rats aged, but these tissue lipid profiles changed little with age in +/+ rats. GPC and GPE profiles for brain, kidney, sciatic nerve, and red blood cells were similar among fa/fa and +/+ rats at 6 and 12 wk of age, and pancreatic islets from fa/fa and +/+ rats exhibited similar GPC and GPE profiles at 12 wk of age. Under-representation of arachidonate-containing GPC and GPE species in some fa/fa rat tissues at 6 wk could contribute to insulin resistance, but depletion of islet arachidonate-containing GPC and GPE species is unlikely to explain the evolution of the insulin secretory defect that is well-developed by 12 wk of age.

Oxidative derangement in rat synaptosomes induced by hyperglycaemia: restorative effect of dehydroepiandrosterone treatment

Central nervous system damage in diabetes is caused by both cerebral atherosclerosis and the detrimental effect of chronic hyperglycaemia on nervous tissue. Hyperglycaemia is the primer of a series of cascade reactions causing overproduction of free radicals. There is increasing evidence that these reactive molecules contribute to neuronal tissue damage. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been reported to possess antioxidant properties. This study evaluates the oxidative status in the synaptosomal fraction isolated from the brain of streptozotocin-treated rats and the antioxidant effect of DHEA treatment on diabetic rats. Hydroxyl radical generation, hydrogen peroxide content, and the level of the reactive oxygen species was increased (P<0.05) in synaptosomes isolated from streptozotocin-treated rats. The derangement of the oxidative status was confirmed by a low level of reduced glutathione and alpha-tocopherol. DHEA treatment (4 mg per day for 3 weeks, per os) protected the synaptosomes against oxidative damage: synaptosomes from diabetic DHEA-treated rats showed a significant decrease in reactive species (P<0.05) and in the formation of end products of lipid peroxidation, evaluated in terms of fluorescent chromolipid (P<0.01). Moreover, DHEA treatment restored the unsaturated fatty acid content of the membrane and the reduced glutathione and alpha-tocopherol levels to normal levels and restored membrane NaK-ATPase activity close to control levels. The results demonstrate that DHEA supplementation greatly reduces oxidative damage in synaptosomes isolated from diabetic rats and suggest that this neurosteroid may participate in protecting the integrity of synaptic membranes against hyperglycaemia-induced damage.

Molecular defects in sarcolemmal glycerophospholipid subclasses in diabetic cardiomyopathy

Although still scarcely studied, the phospholipid component of the cell membrane is of absolute importance for cell function. Experimental evidence indicates that individual molecular species of a given phospholipid can influence specific membrane functions. We have examined the changes in molecular species of diacyl and alkenylacyl choline/ethanolamine glycerophospholipid subclasses and those of phosphatidylserine in purified cardiac sarcolemma of healthy and streptozotocin-induced insulin dependent diabetic rats without or with insulin treatment. The relative content of plasmalogens increased in all the phospholipid classes of diabetic sarcolemma under study. Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were mostly enriched with molecular species containing linoleic acid in sn-2 position and deprived of the molecular species containing arachidonic acid. The molecular species of phosphatidylserine containing either arachidonic or docosahexaenoic acid were less abundant in membranes from diabetic rats than in membranes from controls. Insulin treatment of diabetic rats restored the species profile of phosphatidylethanolamine and overcorrected the changes in molecular species of phosphatidylcholine. The results suggest that the high sarcolemmal level of plasmalogens and the abnormal molecular species of glycerophospholipids may be critical for the membrane dysfunction and defective contractility of the diabetic heart.

Influence of sodium bis(oxalato)oxovanadate(IV) on phospholipids in liver Golgi fractions from control and streptozotocin-diabetic rats

(1) Both vanadyl oxalate and streptozotocin (STZ) caused in comparison with untreated control statistically significant increase (P<0.001 and P<0.02) of PLs (micromoles of P(i) per mg of protein) in rat liver Golgi-rich membrane fraction. (2) The diabetic, vanadium treated rats (D+V) showed lower than control-treated (C+V) content of PLs in these fractions. (3) Three experimental groups of rats: control-treated (P<0.01), diabetic treated with vanadium (P<0.05) and untreated diabetic (P<0.02), had a higher percentage of PI (phosphatidylinositol) in comparison with untreated-control animals.