Astaxanthin alleviates gestational diabetes mellitus in mice through suppression of oxidative stress.

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects 7% of pregnant women worldwide, which increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease for both the mother and the fetus. Natural compound Astaxanthin has been reported to have benefits in obesity and diabetes. A pregnant C57BL/KsJ db/+ mouse was used as a genetic GDM model to investigate the effect of Astaxanthin on GDM symptoms and reproductive outcomes. Blood glucose, plasma insulin, glucose intolerance, insulin sensitivity, biochemical indexes of plasma, and the liver were measured; Nrf2 and HO-1 protein levels were detected by Western blotting. Astaxanthin significantly alleviated the glucose intolerance and β cell insufficiency, inhibited in vivo oxidative stress, enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and improved reproductive outcomes. Mechanistically, the effect of Astaxanthin was mediated by restoring the Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidant pathway in the liver of GDM mice. Our findings supported that Astaxanthin was a potential therapeutic reagent for not only diabetes but also GDM symptomology.

• Authors: Yangyang Chen, Jichun Tang, Yinghong Zhang, Juan Du, Yuanli Wang, Hui Yu, Yanling He
• Journal: Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology (Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol) Vol. 393 Issue 12 Pg. 2517-2527 (12 2020) ISSN: 1432-1912 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 32279084 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antioxidants
• Xanthophylls
• astaxanthine

Topics

• Animals
• Antioxidants (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Diabetes, Gestational (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Female
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Mice, Transgenic
• Oxidative Stress (drug effects, physiology)
• Pregnancy
• Xanthophylls (pharmacology, therapeutic use)