Alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation improves hyperglycemia and attenuates the decrease in GLUT4 and PGC-1α proteins in adipose tissue of streptozotocin-high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice

TL;DR

Alpha-ketoglutarate improves blood sugar and protects glucose transport proteins in fat tissue of diabetic mice.

Contribution

AKG supplementation is shown to improve glucose metabolism and protect GLUT4 and PGC-1α in adipose tissue of diabetic mice.

Findings

AKG supplementation reduced hyperglycemia in diabetic mice.

AKG preserved GLUT4 and PGC-1α protein levels in adipose tissue.

AKG improved whole-body glucose metabolism in diabetic mice.

Abstract

Alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) is a well-known intermediate of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and plays an important role in the catabolism of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine). While previous study suggested that AKG enhances glucose metabolism, its effect on the adaptation of muscles and adipocytes has not been well studied in diabetic condition. This study aimed to determine whether AKG improves glucose metabolism in the skeletal muscles and adipose tissues in diabetic mice. Male institute of cancer research mice were divided into control, diabetic, and diabetic + AKG groups. Diabetes (DM) was induced by a high fat diet consumption and streptozotocin (STZ) injection. Mice in the DM + AKG group were administered 1% AKG in drinking water for 6 weeks. The non-fasting plasma glucose level was significantly higher in the diabetic group than that in the control and DM + AKG groups (P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein levels in the muscles between the DM and DM + AKG groups. AKG supplementation attenuated the decrease in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1 alpha and GLUT4 protein levels in inguinal and epididymal adipose tissues in diabetic condition. In conclusion, the study findings suggested that AKG supplementation increased protein levels related to mitochondrial biogenesis and glucose transporters in adipocyte tissue accompanied with improved whole-body glucose metabolism in STZ and high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice.

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