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Effects of Folic Acid on Cardiac Myocyte Apoptosis in Rats with Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes Mellitus

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Abstract

Backgrounds

The effect of folic acid on cardiac myocyte apoptosis secondary to diabetes is unknown.

Methods

Diabetic rats were divided into diabetic control (DC, n = 11), low-dose (LDF, 0.4 mg/kg/day, n = 12) and high-dose (HDF, 1.2 mg/kg/day, n = 12) folic acid groups. Non-diabetic rats (n = 11) were used as the normal control (NC).

Results

After 11 weeks of treatment, compared with the NC group, the DC group showed a reduced blood levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS, P < 0.01). The rate of cardiac myocyte apoptosis in the diabetic control group was also greater than in the non-diabetic control group (P < 0.01). In folic acid-treated rats, the blood levels of ROS was higher than in the diabetic control group (P < 0.05). There was a dose-dependent reduction in the rate of cardiac myocyte apoptosis in the folic acid groups (P < 0.01), and this was accompanied by an increased level of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and decreased level of pro-apoptotic protein Bax and Fas (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Dietary folic acid supplementation diminishes the cardiac myocyte apoptosis in streptozotocin-induced diabetes. The apoptosis suppression is accompanied by an increase in the expression of Bcl-2 and a decrease in Bax and Fas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Ji-Nan University, Guangzhou, 510220, People’s Republic of China

    Tong-Guo Wu & Zi-Qing Lin

  2. Department of Cardiology, the Affiliated Hospital of Taishan Medical College, Taian, 271000, People’s Republic of China

    Wei-Hong Li

  3. School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia

    Le-Xin Wang

Authors
  1. Tong-Guo Wu
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  2. Wei-Hong Li
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Correspondence to Tong-Guo Wu or Le-Xin Wang.

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Wu, TG., Li, WH., Lin, ZQ. et al. Effects of Folic Acid on Cardiac Myocyte Apoptosis in Rats with Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes Mellitus. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 22, 299–304 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10557-008-6109-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10557-008-6109-8

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