Tissue-specific and insulin-dependent expression of a pancreatic amylase gene in transgenic mice.

The regulatory properties of mouse pancreatic amylase genes include exclusive expression in the acinar cells of the pancreas and dependence on insulin and glucocorticoids for maximal expression. We have characterized a murine pancreatic amylase gene, Amy-2.2y, whose promoter sequence is 30% divergent from those of previously sequenced amylase genes. To localize sequences required for tissue-specific and hormone-dependent activation, we established two lines of transgenic mice. The first line contained a single copy of the complete Amy-2.2y gene as well as 9 kilobases of 5'-flanking sequence and 5 kilobases of 3'-flanking sequence. The second line carried a minigene which included 208 base pairs of 5'-flanking sequence and 300 base pairs of 3'-flanking sequence. In both lines the transgene was expressed at high levels exclusively in the pancreas. Both constructs were dependent on insulin and induced by dexamethasone. Thus, the transferred genes contained the sequences required for tissue-specific and hormonally regulated expression.     

Hormonal and nutritional regulation of muscle carnitine palmitoyltransferase I gene expression in vivo

Transgenic mice carrying the human heart muscle carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (M-CPTI) gene fused to a CAT reporter gene were generated to study the regulation of M-CPTI gene expression. When the mice were fasted for 48 h, CAT activity and mRNA levels increased by more than 2-fold in heart and skeletal muscle, but not liver or kidney. In the diabetic transgenic mice, there was a 2- to 3-fold increase in CAT activity and CAT mRNA levels in heart and skeletal muscle which upon insulin administration reverted to that observed with the control insulin sufficient transgenic mice. Feeding a high fat diet increased CAT activity and mRNA levels by 2- to 4-fold in heart and skeletal muscle of the transgenic mice compared to the control transgenic mice on regular diet. Overall, the M-CPTI promoter was found to be necessary for the tissue-specific hormonal and dietary regulation of the gene expression.     

Overexpression of a dominant negative GIP receptor in transgenic mice results in disturbed postnatal pancreatic islet and beta-cell development

The expression of a dominant negative glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPRdn) under the control of the rat pro-insulin gene promoter induces severe diabetes mellitus in transgenic mice. This study aims to gain further insight into the effect of the expression of a dominant negative GIPR on glucose homeostasis and postnatal development of the endocrine pancreas. The diabetic phenotype of GIPRdn transgenic animals was first observed between 14 and 21 days of age (urine glucose>1000 mg/dl). After onset of diabetes, serum glucose was significantly higher and insulin values were significantly lower in GIPRdn transgenic mice vs. non-transgenic littermate controls. Morphometric studies of pancreatic islets and their endocrine cell types were carried out at 10, 30 and 90 days of age. The total islet and total beta-cell volume of transgenic mice was severely reduced as compared to control mice, irrespective of the age at sampling (p<0.05). The total volume of isolated insulin positive cells that were not contained within established islets was significantly reduced in transgenic mice, indicating disturbed islet neogenesis. These findings demonstrate in vivo evidence that intact signaling of G-protein coupled receptors is involved in postnatal islet and beta-cell development and neogenesis of the pancreatic islets.     

Hepatocyte growth factor preserves beta cell mass and mitigates hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice

Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that results in destructive depletion of the insulin-producing beta cells in the islets of Langerhans in pancreas. With the knowledge that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent survival factor for a wide variety of cells, we hypothesized that supplementation of HGF may provide a novel strategy for protecting pancreatic beta cells from destructive death and for preserving insulin production. In this study, we demonstrate that expression of the exogenous HGF gene preserved insulin excretion and mitigated hyperglycemia of diabetic mice induced by streptozotocin. Blood glucose levels were significantly reduced in mice receiving a single intravenous injection of naked HGF gene at various time points after streptozotocin administration. Consistently, HGF concomitantly increased serum insulin levels in diabetic mice. Immunohistochemical staining revealed a marked preservation of insulin-producing beta cells by HGF in the pancreatic islets of the diabetic mice. This beneficial effect of HGF was apparently mediated by both protection of beta cells from death and promotion of their proliferation. Delivery of HGF gene in vivo induced pro-survival Akt kinase activation and Bcl-xL expression in the pancreatic islets of diabetic mice. These findings suggest that supplementation of HGF to prevent beta cells from destructive depletion and to promote their proliferation might be an effective strategy for ameliorating type I diabetes.     

The antidiabetic effects of cysteinyl metformin, a newly synthesized agent, in alloxan- and streptozocin-induced diabetic rats

In this paper, the antidiabetic effects of cysteinyl metformin (CM), a newly synthesized agent, were investigated to evaluate the hypoglycemic/hypolipidemic effects by measuring blood glucose, triglyceride and insulin levels in CM- and metformin-treated diabetic rats. Two diabetic models were used: (1) an alloxan-induced model in which diabetes was produced by alloxan (200 mg/kg, i.p.), then rats were treated with CM (300, 100 and 33 mg/kg) for 14 days; (2) a streptozocin-induced model in which diabetes was produced by streptozocin (30 mg/kg, i.p.) and a sustained high lipid diet, then rats were treated with CM for 8 weeks. The hypoglycemic effect of CM exceeded that of metformin while the hypolipidemic effect was similar. In addition, CM increased the blood insulin level of the alloxan-induced experimental animals (which had an insulin deficiency), but reduced the insulin level of the streptozocin-induced animals (which had an insulin excess), suggesting that CM improves pancreatic beta-cell function. The effects of CM, metformin and cysteine on the antioxidant defense system in alloxan-induced rats were also studied. The serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level was determined to provide evidence for lipid peroxidation, All the groups of animals given CM, metformin and cysteine exhibited less severe oxidative stress than the diabetic group. Then, several key antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT) and the pancreatic exocrine enzyme amylase (AMS) were measured. CM restored the activity of all these agents to nearly normal values while metformin and cysteine merely restored the activity of SOD. At the end of our study, the animals were sacrificed by decapitation and the liver, kidney and pancreas were weighed to allow investigation of organ edema. The results obtained showed that CM corrected the organ edema of the diabetic rats. All these findings suggested that CM has a protective effect on the antioxidant defense system and beta-cell dysfunction in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. All these results suggest that CM is a potential candidate for the future treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.     

Protein-rich extract of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Musca domestica</Emphasis> larvae alleviated metabolic disorder in STZ-induced type 2 diabetic rat model via hepatoprotective and pancreatic β-cell protective activities

The study was designed to explore the beneficial effect of Musca domestica larvae extract (MDLE) on a metabolic disorder using a diabetic rat model. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated with or without MDLE. Blood glucose, insulin levels, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress markers were measured. The morphological changes in the pancreas and liver were determined, as well as insulin expression. The expression of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), phospho-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK)/total AMPK, superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), catalase (CAT), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) were detected. Compared with untreated diabetic rats, MDLE-treated rats had decreased urine volume, food intake, and water intake, along with significantly lower levels of blood glucose, malondialdehyde (MDA), plasma triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and total cholesterol. MDLE-treated rats also had higher levels of SOD activity, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and insulin. MDLE treatment partially restored the β-cell population, improved the liver necrosis and islet cell damage, reversed the decreased expression of GLUT4, phospho-AMPK, SOD1, and CAT in the liver, skeletal muscle and pancreatic tissue, and also increased the expression of PPARγ in the liver and adipose tissue in diabetic rats. In conclusion, the obtained results suggest that MDLE could possibly be used pharmacologically as an adjuvant for the treatment of diabetes.