Metformin represses the pathophysiology of AAA by suppressing the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR/autophagy pathway in ApoE -/- mice

• Published in: Cell & bioscience Vol. 9; no. 1; p. 68
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhu, Guo, Jingjing, Han, Xinqiang, Xue, Ming, Wang, Wenming, Mi, Lei, Sheng, Yuguo, Ma, Chao, Wu, Jian, Wu, Xuejun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 27.08.2019; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; AAA; Abdomen; Agonists; AKT protein; Aneurysms; Angiotensin; Angiotensin II; Antidiabetics; Aorta; Aortic aneurysms; ApoE −/− mice; Apolipoprotein E; Apoptosis; Autophagy; Autophagy pathway; Cell cycle; Cell growth; Cell migration; Cell proliferation; Collagen; Diabetes; Elastin; Hospitals; Human subjects; Laboratory animals; Males; Metformin; mRNA; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Pathogenesis; Phagocytosis; PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway; Proteins; Smooth muscle; TOR protein; China; Autophagy pathway; AAA; PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway; ApoE−/− mice; Metformin
• ISSN: 2045-3701; 2045-3701
• DOI: 10.1186/s13578-019-0332-9

The protective effect of metformin (MET) on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has been reported. However, the related mechanism is still poor understood. In this study, we deeply investigated the role of metformin in AAA pathophysiology. Angiotensin II (Ang-II) was used to construct the AAA model in mice. The related mechanism was explored using Western blot and quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). We also observed the morphological changes in the abdominal aorta and the influence of metformin on biological behaviors of rat abdominal aortic VSMCs. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was activated in aneurysmal wall tissues of AAA patients and rat model. Treatment with metformin inhibited the breakage and preserved the elastin structure of the aorta, the loss of collagen, and the apoptosis of aortic cells. In addition, metformin significantly suppressed the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mToR pathway and decreased the mRNA and protein levels of LC3B and Beclin1, which were induced by Ang-II. Moreover, PI3K inhibitors enhanced the effect of metformin while PI3K agonists largely reversed this effect. Interestingly, the cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and autophagy of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by Ang-II were also decreased following metformin treatment. PI3K inhibitors and agonists strengthened and weakened the effects of metformin in VSMCs, respectively. Metformin represses the pathophysiology of AAA by inhibiting the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR/autophagy pathway. This repression may be useful as a new therapeutic strategy for AAA.