Sphk1 involves in the regulation of autophagy process in cardiac myocyte cells at high glucose condition

Abstract Diabetic cardiomyopathy is the myocardium disorders caused by diabetes mellitus, which has become a key concern bringing heavy burden to the public health. Autophagy is one of activities involving in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Sphk1 gene plays a crucial role in cell survival and growth, and regulation of many diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy remains poorly understood. To this aim, the study established adenovirus vectors expressing Sphk1 and shSphk1 to investigate the effects of Sphk1 on autophagy and cell survival in myocardial cells under high glucose conditions (25 mM). It was found that overexpression of Sphk1 promoted autophagy activity in H9c2 cells under high glucose treatment measured by various methodologies including qRT-PCR, western blot, fluorescence microscope, and so on. Inhibition of autophagy decreased cell vitality under high glucose condition. A broadly used medicine silibinin was demonstrated to induce autophagy in a dose-dependent manner. Herein, the findings in the present study may provide useful reference for unveiling the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy and developing novel therapies treating diabetic cardiomyopathy.