Enhanced NF-κB Activity Impairs Vascular Function Through PARP-1–, SP-1–, and COX-2–Dependent Mechanisms in Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with vascular dysfunction. We hypothesized that increased nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling contributes to vascular dysfunction in T2D. We treated type 2 diabetic (db(−)/db(−)) and control (db(−)/db(+)) mice with two NF-κB inhibitors (6 mg/kg dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin twice a week and 500 μg/kg/day IKK-NBD peptide) for 4 weeks. Pressure-induced myogenic tone was significantly potentiated, while endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) was impaired in small coronary arterioles and mesenteric resistance artery from diabetic mice compared with controls. Interestingly, diabetic mice treated with NF-κB inhibitors had significantly reduced myogenic tone potentiation and improved EDR. Importantly, vascular function was also rescued in db(−)/db(−p50NF-κB−/−) and db(−)/db(−PARP-1−/−) double knockout mice compared with db(−)/db(−) mice. Additionally, the acute in vitro downregulation of NF-κB–p65 using p65NF-κB short hairpin RNA lentivirus in arteries from db(−)/db(−) mice also improved vascular function. The NF-κB inhibition did not affect blood glucose level or body weight. The RNA levels for Sp-1 and eNOS phosphorylation were decreased, while p65NF-κB phosphorylation, cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-1, and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression were increased in arteries from diabetic mice, which were restored after NF-κB inhibition and in db(−)/db(−p50NF-κB−/−) and db(−)/db(−PARP-1−/−) mice. In the current study, we provided evidence that enhanced NF-κB activity impairs vascular function by PARP-1–, Sp-1–, and COX-2–dependent mechanisms in male type 2 diabetic mice. Therefore, NF-κB could be a potential target to overcome diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction.