Liraglutide reduces bone marrow adipogenesis by miR-150-5p/ GDF11 axis in diabetic rats

In recent years, a common-used antidiabetic drug, liraglutide, was identified with extra effects on lipid metabolism. Its effects against excessive lipid deposition in bone marrow were gained much attention but not well established. Our aim in the present study is to explore the interaction of miRNAs-mRNAs altered by liraglutide administration during bone marrow adipogenesis in diabetes. To establish the diabetic animal model, rats were treated with high fat diet (HFD) and STZ injection. We then identified the lowering effect of liraglutide on lipids metabolism in the diabetes. During this process, high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analyses on miRNAs extracted from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were conducted after liraglutide administration. We then identified five differentially expressed miRNAs (miRNA-150-5p, miRNA-129-5p, miRNA-201-3p, miRNA-201-5p, and miRNA-214-5p). The expressions of the DE miRNAs were verified as temporal specific expression patterns in Day 3 and in Day 7. Among them, miRNA-150-5p expression was more stable and consistent with the sequencing data. Of interest, miR-150-5p overexpression facilitated adipogenesis of BMSCs. But this promotion was alleviated by liraglutide. The predicted target gene of miR-150-5p, GDF11, was validated to be involved in liraglutide alleviated BMSCs' lipid accumulation in diabetes. In vitro, liraglutide increased the GDF11 expression, rescued its down-expression by siGDF11 and inhibit the adipogenesis of BMSCs cultured in high glucose medium. In vivo, liraglutide reversed the HFD-STZ induced excessive lipid droplets by up-regulation of GDF11 expression, which was discounted by agomiR-150-5p injection. Above all, liraglutide might alleviate bone marrow fat accumulation via inactivating miR-150-5p/GDF11 axis in diabetes.