Effects of the topical administration of semaglutide on retinal neuroinflammation and vascular leakage in experimental diabetes

Background: An unexpected increase in the rate of severe diabetic retinopathy was observed in the Semaglutide in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes (SUSTAIN)-6 clinical trial. Although this effect was attributed to a rapid decrease in blood glucose levels, a direct deleterious effect of semaglutide on th...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Simó Canonge, Rafael|||0000-0003-0475-3096, Bogdanov, Patricia|||0000-0003-0669-4958, Ramos, Hugo|||0000-0001-6443-7576, Huerta, Jordi|||0000-0002-9908-8051, Simó-Servat, Olga|||0000-0003-3483-652X, Hernández, Cristina|||0000-0002-3109-1721
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:256708
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/256708
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/biomedicines9080926
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Diabetic retinopathy
Semaglutide
Retina
Db/db mouse
Descripción
Sumario:Background: An unexpected increase in the rate of severe diabetic retinopathy was observed in the Semaglutide in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes (SUSTAIN)-6 clinical trial. Although this effect was attributed to a rapid decrease in blood glucose levels, a direct deleterious effect of semaglutide on the retina could not be ruled out. In order to shed light on this issue, we have performed a study aimed at testing the direct effect of semaglutide administered by eye drops on retinal neuroinflammation and microvascular abnormalities using the db/db mouse model. Methods: Eye drops containing semaglutide (0.33 mg/mL; 5 µL once/daily) or vehicle (PBS; 5 µL once daily) were administered for 15 days. Results: We found that semaglutide significantly reduced glial activation, as well as the retinal expression of Nuclear factor kB (NF-κB), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18) and Intercellular Adhesion Molecule (ICAM)-1. In addition, semaglutide prevented the apoptosis of cells from the retinal ganglion layer and activated the protein kinase B (AKT) pathway. Finally, a dramatic decrease in vascular leakage was observed in db/db mice treated with semaglu-tide. All these findings were observed without any change in blood glucose levels and, therefore, can be directly attributed to semaglutide. Conclusions: These experimental findings point to a beneficial rather than a deleterious effect of semaglutide on the retina of subjects with diabetes. 0926.