Peculiarities of brain cell functioning during hyperglicemia and diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Hyperglycemia is a symptom and damaging factor of diabetes mellitus (DM) that leads to systemic complications in the body, including macro- and microangiopathies of the brain, impaired blood supply, the appearance of foci of neurodegeneration and might be a trigger of neuroinflammation. Nervous tissue is characterized by a high level of energy consumption and is highly sensitive to fluctuations in the level of metabolic substrates. Therefore, it is extremely important to study the effect of high glucose levels on the functional state of the central nervous system. This review attempts to comprehensively assess the effects of hyperglycemia on brain cells. Analysis of experimental data obtained in in vivo and in vitro models of diabetes on the morphofunctional state of neurons, microglia and astrocytes showed that the direct and indirect effects of glucose in high concentrations depends on the cell type. Receptors and intracellular signaling cascades of astrocytes and microglia, that mediate the effects of hyperglycemia and the development of neuroinflammation, can act as therapeutic targets for the correction for the consequences of diabetes. Thus, finding ways to modulate the functional activity of glial cells may be an effective strategy to reduce the severity of the consequences of CNS damage.