2023, Volume 16, Issue 3, pp 451 – 457

Evaluation of anti-atherosclerotic effects of Sitagliptin via modulation of the mTOR pathway in male rabbits

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Issues

Special Issues

Authors and Affiliations

Corresponding Author: Najah Rayish Hadi, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kufa, Kufa, Iraq. E-mail: drnajahhadi@yahoo.com

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a common and serious vascular disease that underlies many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular illnesses, including heart attack and stroke. Atherosclerosis-related illnesses have increased in prevalence and now pose a substantial burden on individuals and society. Autophagy (AP) is a process in which cytoplasmic components are engulfed by a double-membrane structure, such as defective organelles and aged, damaged, and flawed proteins. Autophagy is essential for maintaining a proper cellular equilibrium and plays a vital homeostatic role in physiological settings by liberating nutrients from macromolecules and removing undesirable cellular components. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Sitagliptin on the progression of atherosclerosis. Twenty-one male New Zealand White rabbits weighing 2-2.5 kg each were split into three groups: normal control, atherogenic control, and Sitagliptin-treated. The following parameters: serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL, and a tissue autophagy marker (p62) using ELISA, aortic mRNA expression of mTORC1 marker using Real-Time Quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR), and histological inspection of the aorta were assessed. The mRNA expression of mTORC1 and the lipid profile of aortic tissue are considerably elevated in atherogenic diet-fed animals. Histopathological analysis confirmed the presence of a substantial atherosclerotic lesion in the animals fed an atherogenic diet. However, compared to an atherogenic control group, Sitagliptin dramatically reduced lipid profile, P62 aortic level, and mRNA expression of mTORC1. Sitagliptin medication slowed the development of atherosclerosis via increasing autophagy through suppression of the mTORC1 signaling pathway.

Keywords

About this article

PMC ID: 10165524
PubMed ID: 37168300
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2022-0298

Article Publishing Date (print): 3 2023
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Issues

Special Issues