Sophocarpine Suppresses NF-κB-Mediated Inflammation Both In Vitro and In Vivo and Inhibits Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

• Main Authors: Fang Zou, Ling Wang, Han Liu, Wei Wang, Longlong Hu, Xiaoying Xiong, Lijuan Wu, Yunfeng Shen, Renqiang Yang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-10-01
• Series: Frontiers in Pharmacology
• Subjects: sophocarpine; NF-κB; inflammation; diabetes; cardiomyopathy—diagnostics
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2019.01219/full
• ISSN: 1663-9812

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of mortality in patients with diabetes. DCM is a leading cause of mortality in patients with diabetes. We used both in vitro and in vivo experiments to investigate the hypothesis that sophocarpine (SPC), a natural quinolizidine alkaloid derived from a Chinese herb, could protect against DCM. We used hyperglycemic myocardial cells and a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus mouse model. SPC protected myocardial cells from hyperglycemia-induced injury by improving mitochondrial function, suppressing inflammation, and inhibiting cardiac apoptosis. The SPC treatment significantly inhibited the activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling in high-glucose-stimulated inflammatory responses. Moreover, SPC significantly slowed the development and progression of DCM in STZ-induced diabetic mice. These results show that SPC suppresses NF-κB-mediated inflammation both in vitro and in vivo and may be used to treat DCM.