A proteoglycan extract from protects pancreatic beta-cells against STZ-induced apoptosis.

The pancreatic β-cell death or dysfunction induced by oxidative stress plays an important effect on the development and progression of diabetes mellitus. Based on our previous findings, a natural proteoglycan extracted from , named , could treat T2DM . In this study, we investigated the effects of on STZ-induced apoptosis of INS-1 cells and its underlying mechanisms. The results showed that significantly improved the cell viability and alleviated the apoptosis in STZ-treated INS-1 cells. Moreover, markedly decreased the intracellular ROS accumulation and NO release, and deactivated NF-κB, JNK, and p38 MAPK signaling pathways in STZ-induced INS-1 cells. Furthermore, improved the insulin secretion through inhibiting the activation of JNK and improving the expression of Pdx-1 in INS-1 cells damaged by STZ. These results indicated that could protect pancreatic β-cells against apoptosis and dysfunction, and be used as a promising pharmacological medicine for diabetes management. : T2DM: type 2 diabetes mellitus; : Fudan-Yueyang ; ROS: reactive oxygen species; NO: reactive oxygen species; NF-κB: nuclear factor kappa beta; JNK: c-jun N-terminal kinase; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; Pdx-1: Pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1.