Esculeoside A Decreases Diabetic Cardiomyopathy in Streptozotocin-Treated Rats by Attenuating Oxidative Stress,

Jozaa Z ALTamimi1, Nora A AlFaris1, Ghedeir M Alshammari2

  • 1Department of Physical Sports Sciences, College of Education, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Insights

Esculeoside A (ESA), a tomato compound, prevents diabetic cardiomyopathy in rats by activating Nrf2 signaling. This protects heart function and reduces inflammation without affecting blood glucose levels.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).
  • Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced T1DM in rats is a common model for studying diabetic complications.
  • Esculeoside A (ESA), derived from tomatoes, has shown potential therapeutic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the preventative effects of ESA on diabetic cardiomyopathy in STZ-induced T1DM rats.
  • To investigate the role of Nrf2 signaling activation in mediating ESA's protective effects.

Main Methods:

  • Adult male Wistar rats were induced with T1DM using STZ.
  • Rats received daily oral administration of ESA (100 mg/kg) or vehicle for 12 weeks.
  • A subset of ESA-treated rats received brusatol, an Nrf2 inhibitor, to assess the pathway's involvement.

Main Results:

  • ESA treatment prevented cardiac hypertrophy and improved left ventricular function in STZ-T1DM rats.
  • ESA reduced serum lipids, oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde), and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) in the heart.
  • ESA upregulated Nrf2 and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH, HO-1) while downregulating Keap-1 and NF-κB in the heart.

Conclusions:

  • ESA effectively prevents diabetic cardiomyopathy in a rat model of T1DM.
  • The cardioprotective effects of ESA are mediated through the activation of the Nrf2/antioxidant/NF-κB signaling pathway.
  • ESA demonstrates therapeutic potential for managing diabetic heart complications.

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