Diminished levels of insulin-like growth factor-I in lungs in streptozotocin-induced diabetes: relation to nutritional status and growth

High-mobility group box 1 enhances the inflammatory process in diabetic lung

Diabetes mellitus generates metabolic changes associated with inflammatory events that may eventually affect all body tissues. Both high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and β-catenin are active players in inflammation. The study aimed to determine whether HMGB1 modulates the β-catenin activity in supporting inflammation, using an experimental type 1 diabetes mouse model. The protein and gene expression of HMGB1 were significantly increased (2-fold) in the diabetic lung compared to control and were positively correlated with the HMGB1 levels detected in serum. Co-immunoprecipitation of HMGB1 with RAGE co-exists with activation of PI3K/AKT1 and NF-kB signaling pathways. At the same time β-catenin was increased in nuclear fraction (3.5 fold) while it was down-regulated in diabetic plasma membrane (2-fold). There was no difference of β-catenin gene expression between the control and diabetic mice. β-Catenin phosphorylation at Ser552 was higher in diabetic nuclear fraction, suggesting that AKT1 activation promotes β-catenin nuclear translocation. In addition, c-Jun directly binds β-catenin indicating the transcriptional activity of β-catenin in diabetes, sustained by significantly COX2 increase by 6-fold in the cytosolic extract of diabetic lung compared to control. Taken together, the data support the new concept that HMGB1 maintains the inflammation through RAGE/AKT1/β-catenin pathway in the diabetic lung.

Effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on postpneumonectomy lung growth and connective tissue levels

Diabetes is generally accompanied by abnormal levels of growth hormone and adrenal steroids, hormones known to modulate postpneumonectomy (post-PNX) compensatory lung growth. Thus, we examined the possibility that diabetes may affect post-PNX lung growth processes. Left PNX was performed in young diabetic rats (streptozotocin-induced; 75 mg/kg body weight) (DM-PNX) and in control rats (C-PNX), for comparison with sham-operated control rats (C-SHAM). The rats were permitted free access to food and water. Examination at day 7 after surgery showed that right lung absolute dry weight and absolute DNA, collagen and elastin contents were increased in C-PNX and DM-PNX rats (but only C-PNX values reached those of both lungs in C-SHAM rats). Body weights (BW) of DM-PNX rats were lower than those of C-PNX and C-SHAM rats. Lung DNA/BW in C-PNX and DM-PNX rats were comparable, and matched values for both lungs in C-SHAM rats. Lung dry weight/BW, collagen/BW, and elastin/BW in DM-PNX rats exceeded values in C-PNX rats and even more for values of both lungs in C-SHAM rats. Data of another experiment, comparing DM-PNX rats with body weight-matched (by food limitation) PNX and control rats (WMC-PNX and WMC-SHAM rats, respectively) indicated comparable lung absolute DNA contents in DM-PNX and WMC-PNX rats (which matched values for both lungs in WMC-SHAM rats), however, lung absolute collagen and elastic contents were greater in the DM-PNX rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)