Impact of diabetes-associated lipoproteins on oxygen consumption and mitochondrial enzymes in porcine aortic endothelial cells

Impairments in mitochondrial function have been proposed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality in diabetic patients. Mitochondrial dysfunction and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are associated with diabetes and CAD. Elevated levels of glycated low density lipoproteins (glyLDL) and oxidized LDL (oxLDL) were detected in patients with diabetes. Our previous studies demonstrated that oxLDL and glyLDL increased the generation of ROS and altered the activities of antioxidant enzymes in vascular endothelial cells (EC). The present study examined the effects of glyLDL and oxLDL on mitochondrial respiration, membrane potential and the activities and proteins of key enzymes in mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) in cultured porcine aortic EC (PAEC). The results demonstrated that glyLDL or oxLDL significantly reduced oxygen consumption in Complex I, II/III and IV of mETC in PAEC compared to LDL or vehicle control using oxygraphy. Incubation with glyLDL or oxLDL significantly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, the activities of mitochondrial ETC enzymes - NADH dehydrogenase (Complex I), succinate cytochrome c reductase (Complex II + III), ubiquinol cytochrome c reductase (Complex III), and cytochrome c oxidase (Complex IV) in PAEC compared to LDL or control. Treatment with oxLDL or glyLDL reduced the abundance of subunits of Complex I, ND1 and ND6 in PAEC. However, the effects of oxLDL on mitochondrial activity and proteins were not significantly different from glyLDL. The findings suggest that the glyLDL or oxLDL impairs mitochondrial respiration, as a result from the reduction of the abundance of several key enzymes in mitochondria of vascular EC, which potentially may lead to oxidative stress in vascular EC, and the development of diabetic vascular complications.