Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Aug 2023)
Stachydrine Relieved the Inflammation and Promoted the Autophagy in Diabetes Retinopathy Through Activating the AMPK/SIRT1 Signaling Pathway
Abstract
Jiewei Yu,1 Lingling Ke,1 Jingjing Zhou,2 Chunyan Ding,1 Hui Yang,1 Dongbiao Yan,3 Chengbi Yu3 1Department of Ophthalmology, Jiujiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, 332000, People’s Republic of China; 2Image Center, Jiujiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, 332000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Endocrinology, Jiujiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, 332000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Chengbi Yu, Department of Endocrinology, Jiujiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 555 Dehua Road, Lianxi District, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, 332000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 792-8188311, Email [email protected]: Diabetes retinopathy (DR) is a chronic, progressive, and potentially harmful retinal disease associated with persistent hyperglycemia. Autophagy is a lysosome-dependent degradation pathway that widely exists in eukaryotic cells, which has recently been demonstrated to participate in the DR development. Stachydrine (STA) is a water-soluble alkaloid extracted from Leonurus heterophyllus. This study aimed to explore the effects of STA on the autophagy in DR progression in vivo and in vitro.Methods: High glucose-treated human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) and STA-treated rats were used to establish DR model. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory factor levels (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) were determined using corresponding kits. Additionally, the cell growth was analyzed using CCK-8 and EdU assays. Besides, LC3BII, p62, p-AMPKα, AMPKα, and SIRT1 protein levels were measured using Western blot. The LC3BII and SIRT1 expressions were also determined using immunofluorescence.Results: The results showed that STZ decreased the ROS and inflammatory factor levels in the HG-treated HRMECs. Besides, after STA treatment, the beclin-1, LC3BII, p-AMPKα, and SIRT1 levels were increased, and p62 was decreased in the HG-treated HRMECs and the retinal tissue of STZ-treated rats.Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrated that STA effectively relieved the inflammation and promoted the autophagy in DR progression in vivo and in vitro through activating the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway.Keywords: diabetes retinopathy, stachydrine, autophagy, AMPK/SIRT1
