Effects of neuregulin 4 on apoptosis of aortic endothelial cells in type 2 diabetic mice
LIU Xingyu1, WANG Ying2, JIAO Ting3, FANG Wencan2, YU Hanying2, ZHANG Haisong3
1. Department of General Medicine, Central Beijing Medical Sector of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100120, China; 2. PLA Medical School, Beijing 100853, China; 3. Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University/Hebei Key Laboratory of Cancer Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy, Baoding 071000, China
Abstract：Objective To investigate the effects of neuregulin 4 (Nrg4) on the apoptosis of endothelial cells in type 2 diabetic mice. Methods C57 mice were randomly divided into Vehicle group, diabetes mellites (DM) group and Nrg4 administration group (NRG4). Nrg4 group was intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with Nrg4 recombinant protein (100 μg/kg, 3 times/week) and the same volume of saline was i.p. injected in the other two groups for 8 weeks. After the experiment, TUNEL staining was used to evaluate apoptotic rate of endothelial cells, and Western blot was used to investigate the protein levels of apoptosis-associated proteins. Results Compared with Vehicle group, DM significantly promoted cell apoptosis [(33.0±5.4)% vs. (20.5±3.0)%;P<0.05], increased Bax and cleaved-caspase 3 expression, and decreased Bcl-2 expression (P<0.05), while Nrg4 administration obviously decreased endothelial apoptosis [(19.2±3.8) % vs. (33.0±5.4) %; P<0.05], decreased Bax and cleaved-caspase 3 expression, and increased Bcl-2 expression (P<0.05). Conclusions Nrg4 administration can alleviate the apoptosis of aortic endothelial cells in type 2 diabetic mice.
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2024, Vol. 35 
