AUTHOR=Zou Fang , Wang Ling , Liu Han , Wang Wei , Hu Longlong , Xiong Xiaoying , Wu Lijuan , Shen Yunfeng , Yang Renqiang 

TITLE=Sophocarpine Suppresses NF-κB-Mediated Inflammation Both In Vitro and In Vivo and Inhibits Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2019.01219

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2019.01219

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p>Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of mortality in patients with 
diabetes. DCM is a leading cause of mortality in patients with diabetes. We used both <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in vivo</italic> experiments to investigate the hypothesis that sophocarpine (SPC), a natural quinolizidine alkaloid derived from a Chinese herb, could protect against DCM. We used hyperglycemic myocardial cells and a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus mouse model. SPC protected myocardial cells from hyperglycemia-induced injury by improving mitochondrial function, suppressing inflammation, and inhibiting cardiac apoptosis. The SPC treatment significantly inhibited the activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling in high-glucose-stimulated inflammatory responses. Moreover, SPC significantly slowed the development and progression of DCM in STZ-induced diabetic mice. These results show that SPC suppresses NF-κB-mediated inflammation both <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in vivo</italic> and may be used to treat DCM.</p>