Liping Zhu,1 Jizhong He2 

1Department of Endocrinology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Yan’an People’s Hospital, Yan’an, 716000, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Jizhong He, Department of Cardiology, Yan’an People’s Hospital, Yan’an, 716000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8613619113453, Email Hejizhong1122@sina.com

Background: Morin is a flavonol with beneficial effects on diabetic-related injuries. However, the effect of morin on diabetic cardiomyopathy and its association with autophagy, apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress remains unclear. The current study aimed to reveal the mechanisms underlying morin-mediated protection against cardiac failure in diabetic rats.
Methods: Diabetic cardiomyopathy in albino Wistar rats was induced by streptozotocin (STZ). After treatment with a dose of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day orally for the next 60 days, autophagic (p62, LC3, and BECN1), apoptotic (BCL2, CASP-3, and CASP9), inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), and oxidative stress (CAT, SOD, and MDA) markers in protein and gene levels as well as cardiac function tests were measured.
Results: The findings revealed that long-term morin treatment improved weight gain, lipid and glycemic profile, hypertension, and cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in diabetic rats compared to controls (p-value< 0.001). Moreover, the upregulation of BCL-2, LC3, and BECN1 along with the downregulation of p62, CASP-3, and CASP-9 revealed that morin suppressed apoptosis and promoted autophagy in the cardiac tissue of rats with diabetes (p-value< 0.05). Additionally, the reduction in IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and MDA levels and the increment of SOD and CAT activity suggested that morin decreased inflammation and apoptosis in the heart of the rat models of diabetes (p-value< 0.01).
Conclusion: These results may highlight the potential properties of morin as a therapeutic strategy for diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Keywords: morin, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, diabetes, complementary therapy