Neutralization by Insulin of the Hypertensive Effect of Dermcidin Isoform 2: An Environmentally Induced Diabetogenic and Hypertensive Protein

The effect of dermcidin isoform 2 (dermcidin), an environmentally induced stress protein, was investigated on the genesis of diabetes mellitus and hypertension, the two major atherosclerotic risk factors. The role of dermcidin as an atherosclerotic risk factor related to the impaired systemic insulin level was investigated. Dermcidin was prepared by electrophoresis using plasma from the subjects with acute ischemic heart disease. Injection of 0.2 μM dermcidin in mice increased the blood glucose level from 98±2.45 mg/dL to 350 ±10.2 mg/dL which was normalized by the oral administration of acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) after 24 h. Hypertensive subjects with systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 165 mm and 95 mm of Hg, respectively, had plasma dermcidin level of 95 nM. Ingestion of acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) (150 mg/70 kg body weight) decreased the systolic and diastolic pressures to 125 mm and 80 mm of Hg, respectively, with decrease of dermcidin level to 15 nM. Incubation of kidney cortex cells with 0.2 μM dermcidin-inhibited synthesis of (r)-cortexin, an antihypertensive protein, and the basal (r)-cortexin level was reduced from 33 nM to 15 nM. Addition of 25 μunits of insulin/mL was found to reverse the inhibition of cortexin synthesis. The effect of dermcidin as a diabetogenic and a hypertensive agent could be controlled either by aspirin or by insulin

Hyaluronic acid-graphene oxide quantum dots nanoconjugate as dual purpose drug delivery and therapeutic agent in meta-inflammation

Abstract Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) predominantly considered a metabolic disease is now being considered an inflammatory disease as well due to the involvement of meta-inflammation. Obesity-induced adipose tissue inflammation (ATI) is one of the earliest phenomena in the case of meta-inflammation, leading to the advent of insulin resistance (IR) and T2DM. The key events of ATI are orchestrated by macrophages, which aggravate the inflammatory state in the tissue upon activation, ultimately leading to systemic chronic low-grade inflammation and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) through the involvement of proinflammatory cytokines. The CD44 receptor on macrophages is overexpressed in ATI, NASH, and IR. Therefore, we developed a CD44 targeted Hyaluronic Acid functionalized Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots (GOQD-HA) nanocomposite for tissue-specific delivery of metformin. Metformin-loaded GOQD-HA (GOQD-HA-Met) successfully downregulated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and restored antioxidant status at lower doses than free metformin in both palmitic acid-induced RAW264.7 cells and diet induced obese mice. Our study revealed that the GOQD-HA nanocarrier enhanced the efficacy of Metformin primarily by acting as a therapeutic agent apart from being a drug delivery platform. The therapeutic properties of GOQD-HA stem from both HA and GOQD having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties respectively. This study unravels the function of GOQD-HA as a targeted drug delivery option for metformin in meta-inflammation where the nanocarrier itself acts as a therapeutic agent. Graphical Abstrac