Sirt3 Deficiency Increased the Vulnerability of Pancreatic Beta Cells to Oxidative Stress-Induced Dysfunction

Abstract Aims: Hyperlipidemia-induced oxidative stress is considered to be one of the main pathogenic factors that contribute to pancreatic beta cell dysfunction in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) is abundantly expressed in the mitochondria as an NAD+-dependent deacetylase and regulates mitochondrial adaptive responses to oxidative stress. We examined the antioxidant defense mechanism of Sirt3 in pancreatic beta cells in the context of hyperlipidemia. Results: Chronic high-fat diet (HFD) feeding caused elevated oxidative stress accompanied by reduced Sirt3 expression in the pancreatic beta cells of wild-type mice. Primary pancreatic islets of Sirt3 knockout (KO) mice and murine pancreatic MIN6 cells with downregulated Sirt3 expression showed increased superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) acetylation and reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and glucose-stimulated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation. Moreover, Sirt3 deficiency sensitized the pancreatic islets and MIN6 cells ...