Vindoline Exhibits Anti-Diabetic Potential in Insulin-Resistant 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and L6 Skeletal Myoblasts

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) emerged as a major health care concern in modern society, primarily due to lifestyle changes and dietary habits. Obesity-induced insulin resistance is considered as the major pathogenic factor in T2DM. In this study, we investigated the effect of vindoline, an indole alkaloid of Catharanthus roseus on insulin resistance (IR), oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in dexamethasone (IR inducer)-induced dysfunctional 3T3-L1 adipocytes and high-glucose-induced insulin-resistant L6-myoblast cells. Results showed that dexamethasone-induced dysfunctional 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with different concentrations of vindoline significantly enhanced basal glucose consumption, accompanied by increased expression of GLUT-4, IRS-1 and adiponectin. Similarly, vindoline-treated insulin-resistant L6 myoblasts exhibited significantly enhanced glycogen content accompanied with upregulation of IRS-1 and GLUT-4. Thus, in vitro studies of vindoline in insulin resistant skeleton muscle and dysfunctional adipocytes confirmed that vindoline treatment significantly mitigated insulin resistance in myotubes and improved functional status of adipocytes. These results demonstrated that vindoline has the potential to be used as a therapeutic agent to ameliorate obesity-induced T2DM-associated insulin resistance profile in adipocytes and skeletal muscles.