Pioglitazone Reverses Markers of Islet Beta-Cell De-Differentiation in db/db Mice While Modulating Expression of Genes Controlling Inflammation and Browning in White Adipose Tissue from Insulin-Resistant Mice and Humans

Obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in humans. The db/db mouse is an important mouse model that displays many key features of the human disease. Herein, we used the drug pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione with insulin-sensitizing properties, to investigate blood glucose levels, indicators of islet β-cell health and maturity, and gene expression in adipose tissue. Oral administration of pioglitazone lowered blood glucose levels in db/db mice with a corresponding increase in respiratory quotient, which indicates improved whole-body carbohydrate utilization. In addition, white adipose tissue from db/db mice and from humans treated with pioglitazone showed increased expression of glycerol kinase. Both db/db mice and humans given pioglitazone displayed increased expression of UCP-1, a marker typically associated with brown adipose tissue. Moreover, pancreatic β-cells from db/db mice treated with pioglitazone had greater expression of insulin and Nkx6.1 as well as reduced abundance of the de-differentiation marker Aldh1a3. Collectively, these findings indicate that four weeks of pioglitazone therapy improved overall metabolic health in db/db mice. Our data are consistent with published reports of human subjects administered pioglitazone and with analysis of human adipose tissue taken from subjects treated with pioglitazone. In conclusion, the current study provides evidence that pioglitazone restores key markers of metabolic health and also showcases the utility of the db/db mouse to understand mechanisms associated with human metabolic disease and interventions that provide therapeutic benefit.