Ge Tang1, Fengqi Duan1, Weixuan Li1, Yiqin Wang1, Cheng Zeng1, Jia Hu1, Hongyu Li2, Xuanhong Zhang2, Yanming Chen3, Hongmei Tan4. 1. Department of Pathophysiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. 2. Laboratory Animal Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. 3. Department of Endocrinology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Diabetology, Guangzhou, 510630, China. Electronic address: chyanm@mail.sysu.edu.cn. 4. Department of Pathophysiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Laboratory Animal Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. Electronic address: tanhm@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Abstract
AIMS: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of metformin on diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis and whether Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a target for metformin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ApoE-/- male mice were divided randomly into control, streptozocin-induced diabetes mellitus and metformin groups. Metabolic parameters, atherosclerotic lesion, activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and related signaling pathways were detected. THP-1-differentiated macrophages were used in in vitro experiments. RESULTS: Compared with control mice, increased plasma lipids and proinflammatory interleukin-1β, aggravated macrophage infiltration into the atherosclerotic lesion, and accelerated development of atherosclerosis were observed in diabetic mice, which were associated with the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and dysregulation of thioredoxin-1 and thioredoxin-interacting protein. Treatment with metformin alleviated diabetes-induced metabolic disorders and atherosclerosis, as well as NLRP3 inflammasomes activation and dysregulation of thioredoxin-1/thioredoxin-interacting protein. In vitro experiments showed that high glucose induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and activated NLRP3 inflammasomes, which was significantly suppressed by treatment with metformin or antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Moreover, Compound C, an inhibitor of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), blocked the anti-inflammatory effect of metformin, indicating that metformin inhibited high glucose-induced NLRP3 inflammasomes activation through AMPK activation. Moreover, high glucose decreased thioredoxin-1 expression and increased thioredoxin-interacting protein expression, which was also reversed by metformin. CONCLUSIONS: Metformin inhibited NLRP3 inflammasomes activation and suppressed diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis in apoE-/- mice, which at least partially through activation of AMPK and regulation of thioredoxin-1/thioredoxin-interacting protein.
AIMS: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of metformin on diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis and whether Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a target for metformin. MATERIALS AND METHODS:ApoE-/- male mice were divided randomly into control, streptozocin-induced diabetes mellitus and metformin groups. Metabolic parameters, atherosclerotic lesion, activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and related signaling pathways were detected. THP-1-differentiated macrophages were used in in vitro experiments. RESULTS: Compared with control mice, increased plasma lipids and proinflammatory interleukin-1β, aggravated macrophage infiltration into the atherosclerotic lesion, and accelerated development of atherosclerosis were observed in diabeticmice, which were associated with the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and dysregulation of thioredoxin-1 and thioredoxin-interacting protein. Treatment with metformin alleviated diabetes-induced metabolic disorders and atherosclerosis, as well as NLRP3 inflammasomes activation and dysregulation of thioredoxin-1/thioredoxin-interacting protein. In vitro experiments showed that high glucose induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and activated NLRP3 inflammasomes, which was significantly suppressed by treatment with metformin or antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Moreover, Compound C, an inhibitor of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), blocked the anti-inflammatory effect of metformin, indicating that metformin inhibited high glucose-induced NLRP3 inflammasomes activation through AMPK activation. Moreover, high glucose decreased thioredoxin-1 expression and increased thioredoxin-interacting protein expression, which was also reversed by metformin. CONCLUSIONS:Metformin inhibited NLRP3 inflammasomes activation and suppressed diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis in apoE-/- mice, which at least partially through activation of AMPK and regulation of thioredoxin-1/thioredoxin-interacting protein.
Authors: Elizabeth Mazzio; Ramesh Badisa; Nzinga Mack; Shamir Cassim; Masa Zdralevic; Jacques Pouyssegur; Karam F A Soliman Journal: Cancer Genomics Proteomics Date: 2020 Sep-Oct Impact factor: 4.069