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Tripterine Serves a Dual Role in Palmitate-Induced Pancreatic Beta-Cell Lipotoxicity

  • BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOPHYSICS, AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
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Abstract

Tripterine (TP, also called celastrol), a pentacyclic triterpene extracted from Tripterygium wilfordii, has beneficial effects on multiple diseases, including obesity and diabetes. However, the effects of TP on β‑cell lipotoxicity have not been fully explored. Here, we found that TP modulated β-cell lipotoxicity in a concentration-dependent and bidirectional manner. At low concentrations, TP potentially protected MIN6 β-cells from palmitate (PA)-induced lipotoxicity. At high concentrations, TP significantly promoted β-cell lipotoxicity, further reinforcing PA-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, low-concentration TP inhibited the PA-induced increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and its protective effects were abolished by the ROS inducer tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Conversely, high-concentration TP significantly exacerbated the PA-triggered ROS generation, and its enhanced cytotoxicity was partially reversed by the ROS inhibitor N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Thus, TP plays a dual role in β-cell lipotoxicity, suggesting that care should be taken when it is used for obesity and diabetes treatment.

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Funding

The present research is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2015A030310020), the Guangdong Medical Research Foundation (A2015328 and A2016457), and the Guangdong Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Fund (201607070787).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, China

    Pei Wei & Zhiyong Wang

  2. Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China

    Min Wang

  3. Department of Physiology, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, China

    Mao Lin

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  1. Pei Wei
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  2. Min Wang
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  3. Mao Lin
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  4. Zhiyong Wang
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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Zhiyong Wang designed the study and wrote the paper. Pei Wei and Mao Lin performed the experiments. Min Wang analyzed the data. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Zhiyong Wang.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

This work does not contain any studies involving animals or human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Wei, P., Wang, M., Lin, M. et al. Tripterine Serves a Dual Role in Palmitate-Induced Pancreatic Beta-Cell Lipotoxicity. Dokl Biochem Biophys 511, 156–161 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1607672923600057

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