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Role of carnitine in regulation of blood pressure (MAP/SBP) and gene expression of cardiac hypertrophy markers (α/β‐MHC) during insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia: Role of oxidative stress
Author(s) -
Alanazi Wael A.,
AlHarbi Naif O.,
Imam Faisal,
Ansari Mushtaq A.,
Alhoshani Ali,
Alasmari Abdullah F.,
Alasmari Fawaz,
Alanazi Mohammed M.,
Ali Nemat
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1440-1681
pISSN - 0305-1870
DOI - 10.1111/1440-1681.13455
Subject(s) - carnitine , endocrinology , medicine , oxidative stress , pressure overload , blood pressure , pdk4 , muscle hypertrophy , nitric oxide synthase , nitric oxide , biology , gene expression , biochemistry , cardiac hypertrophy , gene
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in diabetic patients. Hyperglycaemia and iatrogenic hypoglycaemia exacerbate several pathogenic mechanisms underlying hypertension and heart diseases. Carnitine is a potent endogenous antioxidant and cellular fatty acid transporter for antioxidative stress and energy production in the cardiovascular system. The current study aimed to find the role of carnitine in the regulation of hypoglycaemia‐induced hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. Male rats received insulin glargine (InG) to induce hypoglycaemia followed by D‐carnitine or acetyl‐L‐carnitine for carnitine depletion or carnitine supplementation, respectively. The obtained results showed that carnitine deficiency provoked hypoglycaemia‐induced hypertension. Mean arterial pressure was elevated from 78.16 ± 11.4 to 100 ± 5.11 mm Hg in InG treated group, and from 78.2 ± 8.5 to 123.4 ± 28.2 mm Hg in InG + D‐carnitine treated group. Acetyl‐L‐carnitine resisted the elevation in blood pressure in all hypoglycaemic animals and kept it within the normal values (68.33 ± 6.7 mm Hg). Acetyl‐L‐carnitine increased myocardial carnitine content leading to the attenuation of hypoglycaemia‐induced oxidative stress, which was evaluated through measurement of the oxidative stress biomarkers such as inducible nitric oxide synthase, NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase‐1, heme oxygenase‐I, and glutathione S‐transferase. Moreover, acetyl‐L‐carnitine prevented induction of gene expression of cardiac hypertrophy markers during hypoglycaemic conditions, which was assessed via the evaluation of mRNA expression of α‐myosin heavy chain and β‐myosin heavy chain. These findings demonstrate that carnitine might play an essential role in prevention of hypoglycaemia‐induced hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy through providing energy and antioxidants to the cardiovascular system.