The mitochondrial calcium uniporter induces apoptosis in cardiomyocytes cultured with high-glucose medium by affecting mitochondrial function

Background As the number of diabetics worldwide continues to increase, diabetic cardiomyopathy has become one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease risk in diabetic patients. Currently, the pathophysiological mechanism of DCM has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, relevant pathological changes of cardiomyocytes in the high glucose environment were simulated by in vitro culture of rat H9C2 cardiomyocytes, to explore the mechanism by which MCU induces apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. Method: Cultured rat myocardium H9C2 cells in vitro and divided into high glucose group (glucose concentration 33 mmol/L), normal group (glucose concentration 5.5 mmol/L), experimental group (5.5 mmol/L glucose and transfected with MCU siRNA) and control group (5.5 mmol/L glucose and transfected negative control siRNA). Comparative analysis of MCU expression, Ca2+ uptake, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress and apoptosis of two groups of cells. Results (1) Compared with normal group, in the high glucose group the MCU expression of myocardial cells in H9C2 rats decreased, The Ca2+ levels, membrane potential and mitochondrial ATP levels decreased, mitochondrial ROS levels increased, NADH+/NADPH ratio in cardiomyocytes increased, GSH/GSSG ratio decreased, the expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 increased, bcl-2 expression decreased, the number of cardiomyocytes apoptotic cells increases. (2) Compared with the normal group and the control group, the experimental group MCU expression of myocardial cells in H9C2 rats decreased, The Ca2+ levels, membrane potential and mitochondrial ATP levels decreased, mitochondrial ROS levels increased, NADH+/NADPH ratio in cardiomyocytes increased, GSH/GSSG ratio decreased, the expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 increased, bcl-2 expression decreased, the number of cardiomyocytes apoptotic cells increases. Discussion This study suggested that MCU expression in rat H9C2 cardiomyocytes was decreased in the high glucose environment, causing abnormal mitochondrial calcium uptake and imbalanced calcium homeostasis, which may further contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction and enhanced oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes. Mitochondrial dysfunction and enhanced oxidative stress ultimately led to apoptosis in cardiomyocytes.