Adiponectin suppression of high-glucose-induced reactive oxygen species in vascular endothelial cells: evidence for involvement of a cAMP signaling pathway

Diabetes. 2006 Jun;55(6):1840-6. doi: 10.2337/db05-1174.

Abstract

Adiponectin is an abundant adipocyte-derived plasma protein with antiatherosclerotic effects. Vascular signal transduction by adiponectin is poorly understood and may involve 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), cAMP signaling, and other pathways. Hyperglycemia sharply increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which play a key role in endothelial dysfunction in diabetes. Because the recombinant globular domain of human adiponectin (gAd) reduces the generation of endothelial ROS induced by oxidized LDL, we sought to determine whether adiponectin could also suppress ROS production induced by high glucose in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Incubation in 25 mmol/l glucose for 16 h increased ROS production 3.8-fold (P<0.05), using a luminol assay. Treatment with gAd for 16 h suppressed glucose-induced ROS in a dose-dependent manner up to 81% at 300 nmol/l (P<0.05). The AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR; 1 mmol/l, 16 h) only partially decreased glucose-induced ROS by 22% (P<0.05). Cell pretreatment with AMPK inhibitors, however, failed to block the effect of gAd to suppress glucose-induced ROS, suggesting that the action of gAd was independent of AMPK. Interestingly, activation of cAMP signaling by treatment with forskolin (2 micromol/l) or dibutyryl-cAMP (0.5 mmol/l) reduced glucose-induced ROS generation by 43 and 67%, respectively (both P<0.05). Incubation with the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor H-89 (1 micromol/l) fully abrogated the effect of gAd, but not that of AICAR, on ROS induced by glucose. gAd also increased cellular cAMP content by 70% in an AMPK-independent manner. Full-length adiponectin purified from a eukaryotic expression system also suppressed ROS induced by high glucose or by treatment of endothelial cells with oxidized LDL. Thus, adiponectin suppresses excess ROS production under high-glucose conditions via a cAMP/PKA-dependent pathway, an effect that has implications for vascular protection in diabetes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • AMP-Activated Protein Kinases
  • Adiponectin / genetics
  • Adiponectin / pharmacology
  • Aminoimidazole Carboxamide / analogs & derivatives
  • Aminoimidazole Carboxamide / pharmacology
  • Blotting, Western
  • Bucladesine / pharmacology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Colforsin / pharmacology
  • Cyclic AMP / metabolism*
  • Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Endothelial Cells / cytology
  • Endothelial Cells / drug effects*
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism
  • Enzyme Activation / drug effects
  • Glucose / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / metabolism
  • Isoquinolines / pharmacology
  • Lipoproteins, LDL / pharmacology
  • Multienzyme Complexes / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Multienzyme Complexes / metabolism
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / pharmacology
  • Ribonucleosides / pharmacology
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology

Substances

  • ADIPOQ protein, human
  • Adiponectin
  • Isoquinolines
  • Lipoproteins, LDL
  • Multienzyme Complexes
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Ribonucleosides
  • Sulfonamides
  • Colforsin
  • Aminoimidazole Carboxamide
  • acadesine
  • Bucladesine
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Cyclic AMP
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases
  • AMP-Activated Protein Kinases
  • Glucose
  • N-(2-(4-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide