The Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Teneligliptin Reduces Aortic Damage from Hypercholesterolaemia in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice

Abstract

Objective: Hypercholesterolaemia is a well-established risk factor for blood vessel damage, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases. An abundance of clinical data show that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors protect against aortic damage in patients with diabetes. The goal of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of teneligliptin against aortic damage in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE^-/-) mice. Methods: Eight-week-old male ApoE^-/- mice were randomly divided into 3 groups: a control group fed a normal diet, a high-cholesterol diet (HD group), and an HD diet mixed with teneligliptin (HD + Tene group), and all the groups were fed with the different treatments for 6 weeks. Results and Conclusion: The metabolic characteristics of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were lower in ApoE^-/- HD + Tene mice than in ApoE^-/- HD mice. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) gene and protein expression were lower in the aortic tissue of ApoE^-/- HD + Tene mice than in ApoE^-/- HD mice. IL-6 and TNF-α gene expression were lower in ApoE^-/- HD + Tene mice than in ApoE^-/- HD mice. These results indicate that teneligliptin may provide a potential therapeutic target for the aortic damage from hypercholesterolaemia.