Metformin impairs homing ability and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells for cardiac repair in streptozotocin-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy in rats
Abstract
Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have demonstrated potential in treating diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, diabetic patients are on multiple drugs and there is lack of understanding on how transplanted stem cells would respond in presence of such drugs. Metformin is an AMP Kinase (AMPK) activator, the widest used anti-diabetic drug. In this study, we investigated the effect of metformin on the efficacy of stem cell therapy in a diabetic cardiomyopathy animal model using streptozotocin (STZ) in male Wistar rats. To comprehend the effect of metformin on the efficacy of BM-MSCs, we transplanted BM-MSCs (1 million cells/rat) with or without metformin. Our data demonstrate that transplantation of BM-MSCs prevented cardiac fibrosis and promoted angiogenesis in diabetic hearts. However, metformin supplementation downregulated BM-MSCs mediated cardioprotection. Interestingly, both BM-MSCs and metformin treatment individually, improved cardiac function with no synergistic effect of metformin supplementation along with BM-MSCs. Investigating the mechanisms of loss of efficacy of BM-MSCs in the presence of metformin, we found that metformin treatment impairs homing of implanted BM-MSCs in the heart and leads to poor survival of transplanted cells. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that metformin mediated activation of AMPK is responsible for poor homing and survival of BM-MSCs in the diabetic heart. Hence, current study confirms that a conflict arises between…
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