Curcumin Reverses Methylglyoxal Induced Apoptosis in RINm5F Cells and PC12 Cells in Hyperglycemic Conditions

Abstract

Hyperglycemia, a condition in which blood glucose level exceeds the normal level, is often observed in diabetes mellitus. Normally, the hormone insulin, secreted by β‐cells of the pancreas, regulates blood glucose level. However, in patients with diabetes type 2, hyperglycemia decreases beta cell mass, resulting in a deficiency of insulin. Methylglyoxal (MG), a carbonyl derivative of glucose, is believed to cause the deleterious effects observed in type‐2 diabetes, such as neuropathy. MG is known to cause oxidative stress in neural cells, leading to apoptosis. It was of interest to see whether MG showed a similar effect on pancreatic β‐cells. Also, curcumin, a compound present in turmeric is known to have anti‐oxidative and anti‐inflammatory properties. In this study, we determined the effect of MG and curcumin on the viability of RINm5F cells (rat pancreatic β‐cells). Cells were treated in the presence of 20μM and 40μM MG, with different concentrations of curcumin (2μM to 10μM). Preliminary results showed that MG treatment at 40 μM causes 50% cell death in 24 hours, due to apoptosis of cells. Curcumin alone induced cell proliferation. When curcumin was added along with MG, the effect of MG was alleviated. Similar results were observed earlier with neuronal PC12 cells. In addition, various spices such as cinnamon, black pepper and saffron were also tested and found to alleviate the effect of MG. We are currently studying the expression of Bax and Bcl2 in both RINm5F and PC12 cells in the presence of MG and curcumin. This study will help determine whether the loss of β‐cells seen in diabetes, could be prevented using natural products.Support or Funding InformationMcNair Scholars ProgramThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.