Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation Increases Antioxidant Protein Expression and Ameliorates GP91/ROS/Inflammasome Signals in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Background: Cardiomyopathy is one of the complications associated with diabetes. Due to its high prevalence, diabetic cardiomyopathy has become an urgent issue for diabetic patients. Various pathological signals are related to diabetic cardiomyopathy progress, including inflammasome. Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation is full of potential for the treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy because of stem cell cardiac regenerative capability. This study investigates whether mesenchymal stem cell transplantation shows therapeutic effects on diabetic cardiomyopathy through inflammasome signaling regulation. Methods: Wistar male rats were divided into three groups including Sham, T1DM (rats with type 1 diabetes) and T1DM + WJSC (T1DM rats receiving 1 × 106 stem cells per rat). Results: Compared to the Sham, experimental results indicated that several pathological conditions can be observed in heart tissues with T1DM, including structural change, fibrosis, oxidative stress elevation and inflammasome related protein expression. All of these pathological conditions were significantly improved in T1DM rats receiving mesenchymal stem cell transplantation (T1DM + WJSC). Furthermore, the experimental findings suggest that mesenchymal stem cell transplantation exerted antioxidant protein expression in diabetic heart tissues, resulting in a decrease in oxidative stress and inflammasome signaling blockage. Conclusion: These findings imply that mesenchymal stem cell transplantation shows therapeutic effects on diabetic cardiomyopathy through inflammasome regulation induced by oxidative stress.