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Author Spotlight: Assessment of Mitophagy Flux in Pancreatic β-Cells Using Effective and Robust Complementary Approaches
Published on: September 15, 2023
Neuroprotective Lithium Salts Protect Pancreatic β-Сells from Damage
R U Ostrovskaya1, S V Ivanov2, A D Durnev2
1Laboratory of Psychopharmacology, V. V. Zakusov Research Institute of Pharmacology, Moscow, Russia. rita.ostrovskaya@gmail.com.
Abstract:
We studied antidiabetic effects and cytoprotective activity of two lithium salts (lithium chloride and lithium carbonate) on the model of streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus type 2 in Wistar rats. Using the method of β-cells detection with antibodies to insulin, we demonstrated that streptozotocin reduced the number of β-cells and impaired their morphological structure. Both lithium preparations administered to diabetic animals for 28 days in doses of 10 and 8.9 mg/kg, respectively, attenuated the damaging effect of streptozotocin. This cytoprotective effect of lithium salts manifested in weakening of hyperglycemia, polyphagia, polydipsia, and weight loss. A satisfactory correlation between the morphometric data and blood glucose levels was revealed. The mechanisms of the multitarget action of lithium salts are discussed.
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