The effect of GLP-1 receptor agonist lixisenatide on experimental diabetic retinopathy.

Abstract

AIMS:

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are effective treatments for type 2 diabetes, effectively lowering glucose without weight gain and with low risk for hypoglycemia. However, their influence on the retinal neurovascular unit remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the effects of the GLP-1 RA lixisenatide on diabetic retinopathy.

METHODS:

Vasculo- and neuroprotective effects were assessed in experimental diabetic retinopathy and high glucose-cultivated C. elegans, respectively. In STZ-diabetic Wistar rats, acellular capillaries and pericytes (quantitative retinal morphometry), neuroretinal function (mfERG), macroglia (GFAP western blot) and microglia (immunohistochemistry) quantification, methylglyoxal (LC-MS/MS) and retinal gene expressions (RNA-sequencing) were determined. The antioxidant properties of lixisenatide were tested in C. elegans.

RESULTS:

Lixisenatide had no effect on glucose metabolism. Lixisenatide preserved the retinal vasculature and neuroretinal function. The macro- and microglial activation was mitigated. Lixisenatide normalized some gene expression changes in diabetic animals to control levels. Ets2 was identified as a regulator of inflammatory genes. In C. elegans, lixisenatide showed the antioxidative property.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our data suggest that lixisenatide has a protective effect on the diabetic retina, most likely due to a combination of neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of lixisenatide on the neurovascular unit.

• Authors: Kuebra Oezer, Matthias Kolibabka, Johann Gassenhuber, Nadine Dietrich, Thomas Fleming, Andrea Schlotterer, Michael Morcos, Paulus Wohlfart, Hans-Peter Hammes
• Journal: Acta diabetologica (Acta Diabetol) Vol. 60 Issue 11 Pg. 1551-1565 (Nov 2023) ISSN: 1432-5233 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 37423944 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2023. The Author(s).

Chemical References

• lixisenatide
• Hypoglycemic Agents
• Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor
• Antioxidants
• Glucose

Topics

• Rats
• Animals
• Diabetic Retinopathy (drug therapy, etiology, metabolism)
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 (metabolism)
• Hypoglycemic Agents (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor (agonists)
• Caenorhabditis elegans
• Chromatography, Liquid
• Rats, Wistar
• Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Tandem Mass Spectrometry
• Antioxidants (pharmacology)
• Glucose