Management of type 2 diabetes for prevention of cardiovascular disease. An expert opinion of the Italian Diabetes Society

Empagliflozin activates JAK2/STAT3 signaling and protects cardiomyocytes from hypoxia/reoxygenation injury under high glucose conditions

The morbidity and mortality rates of cardiovascular disease are markedly higher in patients with diabetes than in non-diabetic patients, including patients with ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). However, the cardiovascular protective effects of Empagliflozin (EMPA) on IRI in diabetes mellitus have rarely been studied. In this study, we established a cardiomyocyte hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury model to mimic myocardial I/R injuries that occur in vivo. H9C2 cells were subjected to high glucose (HG) treatment plus H/R injury to mimic myocardial I/R injuries that occur in diabetes mellitus. Next, different concentrations of EMPA were added to the H9C2 cells and its protective effect was detected. STAT3 knockdown with recombinant plasmids was used to determine its roles. Our results showed that H/R injury-induced cell apoptosis, necroptosis, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress were further promoted by HG conditions, and HG treatment plus an H/R injury inhibited the activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling. EMPA was found to protect against H/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury under HG conditions and activate JAK2/STAT3 signaling, while down-regulation of STAT3 reversed the protective effect of EMPA. When taken together, these findings indicate that EMPA protects against I/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury by activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling under HG conditions. Our results clarified the mechanisms that underlie the cardiovascular protective effects of EMPA in diabetes mellitus and provide new therapeutic targets for IRI in diabetes mellitus.

Association between hemoglobin glycation index and subclinical myocardial injury in the general population free from cardiovascular disease

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The relationship between hemoglobin glycation index (HGI) and the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been verified by previous studies. However, it remains unknown whether HGI has a predictive effect on subclinical myocardial injury (SC-MI). The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between HGI and SC-MI in the general population free from CVD.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The present study included 6009 participants free of CVD from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to tested the association between HGI and SC-MI. As results, the HGI was significantly higher in participants with SC-MI compared with those without, and the HGI was positively correlated with SC-MI and other metabolic disorder parameters. Each 1-unit increase of HGI and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was independently associated with higher risk of SC-MI (P < 0.05), while fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was no longer a predictive indicator of SC-MI with the increase of confounding factors [OR (95% CI): 1.001 (0.999-1.003), P = 0.305]. And in the subgroup analysis, HGI, only in participants without diabetes, was independently associated with higher risk of SC-MI, while HbA1c and FPG had no independent predictive role in both diabetic and non-diabetic participants.

CONCLUSIONS

HGI was a significant predictor of SC-MI in the general population free from CVD.

Beneficial effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists on glucose control, cardiovascular risk profile, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. An expert opinion of the Italian diabetes society

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) show an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and mortality. Many factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of CVD in patients with T2DM. Among the factors involved, chronic hyperglycemia and the cluster of CVD risk factors, such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity, play a major role. For many years, the control of hyperglycemia has been complicated by the fact that the use of many available drugs was associated with an increased risk of hypoglycemia. Paradoxically, hypoglycemia per se represents a risk factor for CVD. Recently, new drugs for the control of hyperglycemia have become available: many of them can determine a good control of hyperglycemia with minor risks of hypoglycemia. Among these new classes of drugs, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) offer many advantages. In addition to a strong anti-hyperglycemic action, they possess the ability to act on body weight and other relevant risk factors for CVD. Consistently, some of the GLP-1RAs have demonstrated, in RCT designed to assess their safety, to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Furthermore, GLP-1RAs possess properties useful to treat additional conditions, as the capability of improving liver damage in patients with NAFLD or NASH, highly prevalent conditions in people with T2DM. In this document, written by experts of the Italian diabetes society (SID), we will focus our attention on the therapy with GLP-1RAs in patients with T2DM, particularly on the effects on hyperglycemia, cardiovascular disease risk factors, NAFLD/NASH and CVD prevention.

Adherence to a Healthy Lifestyle and the Risk of All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Events in Individuals With Diabetes: The ARIC Study

Objective: The relationship between combined healthy lifestyle and cardiovascular (CV) events in diabetes is unclear. We aim to investigate the association between a healthy lifestyle score (HLS) and the risk of mortality and CV events in diabetes.

Methods: We examined the associations of six lifestyle factors scores (including healthy diet, moderate alcohol and regular coffee intakes, never smoking, physical activity, and normal weight) with diabetes in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study of 3,804 participants with diabetes from the United States at baseline. Primary outcomes included all-cause mortality, CV mortality, and composite CV events (heart failure hospitalizations, myocardial infarction, fatal coronary heart disease, and stroke).

Results: Among these diabetic participants, 1,881 (49.4%), 683 (18.0%), and 1,600 (42.0%) cases of all-cause mortality, CV mortality, and CV events were documented, respectively, during the 26 years of follow-up. Further, the prevalence of these adverse events became lower with the increase of HLS (all P < 0.001). In the risk-factors adjusted Cox regression model, compared to participants with HLS of 0, participants with HLS of 2 had significant lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 0.811, 95% CI: 0.687–0.957, P = 0.013), CV mortality (HR = 0.744, 95% CI: 0.576–0.962, P = 0.024), and CV events (HR = 0.789, 95% CI: 0.661–0.943, P = 0.009). The association of HLS with CV events was stronger for women than men (P for interaction <0.05).

Conclusion: Adherence to a healthy lifestyle was associated with a lower risk of CV events and mortality in diabetics. Our findings suggest that the promotion of a healthy lifestyle would help reduce the increasing healthcare burden of diabetes.

Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier: NCT00005131.

Liraglutide restores late cardioprotective effects of remote preconditioning in diabetic rats via activation of hydrogen sulfide and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 signaling pathway

PURPOSE

The present study explored the influence of liraglutide on remote preconditioning-mediated cardioprotection in diabetes mellitus along with the role of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1α) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).

METHODS

Streptozotocin was given to rats to induce diabetes mellitus and rats were kept for eight weeks. Four cycles of ischemia and reperfusion were given to hind limb to induce remote preconditioning. After 24 h, hearts were isolated and subjected to 30 min of ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion on Langendorff system. Liraglutide was administered along with remote preconditioning. Cardiac injury was assessed by measuring the release of creatine kinase (CK-MB), cardiac troponin (cTnT) and development of left ventricular developed pressure. After ischemia-reperfusion, hearts were homogenized to measure the nuclear cytoplasmic ratio of Nrf2, H2S and HIF-1α levels.

RESULTS

In diabetic rats, there was more pronounced injury and the cardioprotective effects of remote preconditioning were not observed. Administration of liraglutide restored the cardioprotective effects of remote preconditioning in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, liraglutide increased the Nrf2, H2S and HIF-1α levels in remote preconditioning-subjected diabetic rats.

CONCLUSIONS

Liraglutide restores the lost cardioprotective effects of remote preconditioning in diabetes by increasing the expression of Nrf2, H2S and HIF-1α.