GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide has a neuroprotective effect on an aged rat model of Wolfram syndrome

Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 31;9(1):15742. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-52295-2.

Abstract

Wolfram syndrome (WS) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that is mainly characterized by diabetes mellitus, optic nerve atrophy, deafness, and progressive brainstem degeneration. Treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists has shown a promising anti-diabetic effect in WS treatment in both animal models and in human patients. Since previous research has tended to focus on investigation of the WS first symptom, diabetes mellitus, the aim of the present study was to examine liraglutide effect on WS-associated neurodegeneration. We took 9-month-old Wfs1 knock-out (KO) animals that already had developed glucose intolerance and treated them with liraglutide for 6 months. Our research results indicate that 6-month liraglutide treatment reduced neuroinflammation and ameliorated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the inferior olive of the aged WS rat model. Liraglutide treatment also protected retinal ganglion cells from cell death and optic nerve axons from degeneration. According to this, the results of the present study provide novel insight that GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide has a neuroprotective effect in the WS rat model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / deficiency
  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress / drug effects
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor / agonists*
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Hyperglycemia / pathology
  • Hyperglycemia / prevention & control
  • Liraglutide / pharmacology
  • Liraglutide / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / deficiency
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Neuroprotective Agents / pharmacology
  • Neuroprotective Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Optic Nerve / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Transgenic
  • Retinal Ganglion Cells / cytology
  • Retinal Ganglion Cells / drug effects
  • Retinal Ganglion Cells / metabolism
  • Wolfram Syndrome / drug therapy*
  • Wolfram Syndrome / metabolism
  • Wolfram Syndrome / pathology

Substances

  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Neuroprotective Agents
  • WFS1 protein, rat
  • Liraglutide