Abstract
Previous studies suggested that selenium (Se) or exendin‐4 (Ex4) exerts antidiabetic effects. The mechanisms of the effects of Se, Ex4 and their combination on diabetes require further investigation. This study examined the effects of Se, Ex4, insulin or their combinations on hyperglycemia and on the expression of insulin‐signaling transducers: insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS‐1), phosphoinositide‐3‐kinase (PI3K), and serine/threonine‐specific protein kinase (AKT) and glucose transporter‐2 (GLUT2) in diabetic rats. Diabetic rats were injected intraperitoneally twice daily with 4 U insulin/Kg body weight or 0.03 μg exendin‐4/Kg body weight, and/or treated with 5 ppm Se as sodium selenite in drinking water. All treatment modalities were continued for 6 days. Se/Ex4 combination lowered blood glucose level to 142 ± 7.0 mg/dL, increased mRNA levels of IRS‐1, PI3K, AKT and GLUT2 in the liver, and GLUT2 mRNA level in the kidneys. Se treatment of diabetic rats alone resulted in a significant increase in IRS‐1, AKT and GLUT2 mRNA expression levels in the kidneys. The hepatic protein levels of AKT were increased by all treatment modalities, whereas a significant increase in GLUT2 was found in rats treated with Se alone and Se/Ex4 combination as compared to untreated diabetic rats. Se/Ex4 combination was effective in controlling hyperglycemia and increased the levels of AKT and GLUT2 in the liver, and thus is a promising therapeutic approach for diabetes.Support or Funding InformationNational Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), Lebanon, research fund to M.E.M. (Grant No. 01‐11‐08)This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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