Xiaoqing He
Tanzania
Research Article
Disruption of Nrf2 Synergizes with High Glucose to Cause Heightened Myocardial Oxidative Stress and Severe Cardiomyopathy in Diabetic Mice
Author(s): Xiaoqing He and Qiang MaXiaoqing He and Qiang Ma
High glucose-induced oxidative stress is a major contributing mechanism to the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Nrf2 is an emerging critical regulator of cellular defense against oxidative damage. The role of Nrf2 in diabetic cardiomyopathy was investigated in vivo. Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes in Nrf2 knockout (KO) mice that rapidly progressed to severe conditions with high mortality within two weeks of injection; whereas, in wild type (WT) mice, diabetes was less severe with no death. Severe myocardial lesions were observed in diabetic KO mice that had high, sublethal levels of blood glucose including: (a) irregular myocardial arrangements, myofibrillar discontinuation, and cell death; (b) reduced electron density, discontinuation of myocardial fibers, and mitochondrial damage; and (c) markedly reduced contractility of the cardiomyocytes to β-agonist stimulation.. View More»
