Mechanisms underlying electro-mechanical dysfunction in the Zucker diabetic fatty rat heart: a model of obesity and type 2 diabetes

1H-NMR-based metabolomics reveals the preventive effect of Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharides on diabetes in Zucker diabetic fatty rats

The primary objective of this investigation was to explore the beneficial impacts of Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharide (EP) on dysglycemia in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, while also shedding light on its potential mechanism using 1H-NMR-based metabolomics. The results demonstrated a noteworthy reduction in fasting blood glucose (FBG, 46.3%), fasting insulin (50.17%), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, 44.1%), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, 59.75%) following EP administration, while the insulin sensitivity index (ISI, 19.6%) and homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β, 2.5-fold) were significantly increased. These findings indicate that EP enhances β-cell function, increases insulin sensitivity, and improves insulin resistance caused by diabetes. Moreover, EP significantly reduced serum lipid levels, suggesting improvement of dyslipidemia. Through the analysis of serum metabolomics, 17 metabolites were found to be altered in diabetic rats, 14 of which were upregulated and 3 of which were downregulated. Notably, the administration of EP successfully reversed the abnormal levels of 9 out of the 17 metabolites. Pathway analysis further revealed that EP treatment partially restored metabolic dysfunction, with notable effects observed in valine, leucine, and isoleucine metabolism; aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) biosynthesis; and ketone body metabolism. These findings collectively indicate the potential therapeutic efficacy of EP in preventing glycemic abnormalities and improving insulin resistance. Thus, EP holds promise as a valuable treatment option for individuals with diabetes.

DBAN: An improved dual branch attention network combined with serum Raman spectroscopy for diagnosis of diabetic kidney disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most common kidney diseases worldwide. It is estimated that approximately 537 million adults worldwide have diabetes, and up to 30%-40% of diabetic patients are at risk of developing nephropathy. The pathogenesis of DKD is complex, and its onset is insidious. Currently, the clinical diagnosis of DKD primarily relies on the increase of urinary albumin and the decrease in glomerular filtration rate in diabetic patients. However, the excretion of urinary albumin is influenced by various factors, such as physical activity, infections, fever, and high blood glucose, making it challenging to achieve an objective and accurate diagnosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient, fast, and low-cost auxiliary diagnostic technology for DKD. In this study, an improved Dual Branch Attention Network (DBAN) was developed to quickly identify DKD. Serum Raman spectroscopy samples were collected from 32 DKD patients and 32 healthy volunteers. The collected data were preprocessed using the adaptive iteratively reweighted penalized least squares (airPLS) algorithm, and the DBAN was used to classify the serum Raman spectroscopy data of DKD. The model consists of a dual branch structure that extracts features using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and bottleneck layer modules. The attention module allows the model to learn features specifically, and lateral connections are added between the dual branches to achieve multi-level and multi-scale fusion of shallow and deep features, as well as local and global features, improving the classification accuracy of the experiment. The results of the study showed that compared to traditional deep learning algorithms such as Artificial Neural Network (ANN), CNN, GoogleNet, ResNet, and AlexNet, our proposed DBAN classification model achieved 95.4% accuracy, 98.0% precision, 96.5% sensitivity, and 97.2% specificity, demonstrating the best classification performance. This is the best method for identifying DKD, and has important reference value for the diagnosis of DKD patients, as well as improving the accuracy of medical auxiliary diagnosis.

Oxidative stress signaling in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy and the potential therapeutic role of antioxidant naringenin

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most prevalent metabolic disorders that poses a global threat to human health. It can lead to complications in multiple organs and tissues, owing to its wide-ranging impact on the human body. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a specific cardiac manifestation of DM, which is characterized by heart failure in the absence of coronary heart disease, hypertension and valvular heart disease. Given that oxidative stress is a key factor in the pathogenesis of DCM, intervening to mitigate oxidative stress may serve as a therapeutic strategy for managing DCM. Naringenin is a natural product with anti-oxidative stress properties that can suppress oxidative damage by regulating various oxidative stress signaling pathways. In this review, we address the relationship between oxidative stress and its primary signaling pathways implicated in DCM, and explores the therapeutic potential of naringenin in DCM.

Phytosterol Extract Decreases the Oxidative Damage in the Brains of Diabetic db/db Mice

Introduction: Hypercaloric diets induce oxidative stress, and consequently induce hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Thus, oxidative stress is significantly increased in T2DM, leading to oxidative damage to brain, which might contribute to cognitive deficits and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, reducing the oxidative stress is important to preserving cognitive functions, and it has been suggested that phytosterols may reduce the oxidative stress. Objective: The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of phytosterols derived from corn on oxidative damage in the cerebellum, frontal cortex, and hippocampus of diabetic db/db mice. Materials and Methods: A phytosterol extract was isolated from yellow corn (Zea mays L.) and 100 mg/kg of the extract was administrated daily to diabetic mice for 8 weeks. At the end of the treatment period, tissues were isolated to determine the levels of oxidized lipid and protein. Results: The phytosterol treatment increased body weight in diabetic db/db mice, but this treatment did not have any effects on body weight in wild-type mice. Moreover, the phytosterol treatment decreased levels of oxidized lipids in the cerebellum, frontal cortex, and hippocampus, and also decreased the levels of oxidized proteins in the cerebellum and frontal cortex in diabetic db/db mice. Conclusion: These important results show that phytosterol treatment can reduce oxidative damage in the brains of diabetic mice.

Basic Mechanisms of Diabetic Heart Disease

Diabetes mellitus predisposes affected individuals to a significant spectrum of cardiovascular complications, one of the most debilitating in terms of prognosis is heart failure. Indeed, the increasing global prevalence of diabetes mellitus and an aging population has given rise to an epidemic of diabetes mellitus-induced heart failure. Despite the significant research attention this phenomenon, termed diabetic cardiomyopathy, has received over several decades, understanding of the full spectrum of potential contributing mechanisms, and their relative contribution to this heart failure phenotype in the specific context of diabetes mellitus, has not yet been fully resolved. Key recent preclinical discoveries that comprise the current state-of-the-art understanding of the basic mechanisms of the complex phenotype, that is, the diabetic heart, form the basis of this review. Abnormalities in each of cardiac metabolism, physiological and pathophysiological signaling, and the mitochondrial compartment, in addition to oxidative stress, inflammation, myocardial cell death pathways, and neurohumoral mechanisms, are addressed. Further, the interactions between each of these contributing mechanisms and how they align to the functional, morphological, and structural impairments that characterize the diabetic heart are considered in light of the clinical context: from the disease burden, its current management in the clinic, and where the knowledge gaps remain. The need for continued interrogation of these mechanisms (both known and those yet to be identified) is essential to not only decipher the how and why of diabetes mellitus-induced heart failure but also to facilitate improved inroads into the clinical management of this pervasive clinical challenge.