Uncovering the potential molecular mechanism of liraglutide to alleviate the effects of high glucose on myoblasts based on high-throughput transcriptome sequencing technique.

Background: Myoblasts play an important role in muscle growth and repair, but the high glucose environment severely affects their function. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential molecular mechanism of liraglutide in alleviating the effects of high glucose environments on myoblasts.

Methods: MTT, western blot, and ELISA methods were used to investigate the role of liraglutide on C2C12 myoblasts induced by high glucose. The high-throughput transcriptome sequencing technique was used to sequence C2C12 myoblasts from different treated groups. The DESeq2 package was used to identify differentially expressed-mRNAs (DE-mRNAs). Then, functional annotations and alternative splicing (AS) were performed. The Cytoscape-CytoHubba plug-in was used to identify multicentric DE-mRNAs.

Results: The MTT assay results showed that liraglutide can alleviate the decrease of myoblasts viability caused by high glucose. Western blot and ELISA tests showed that liraglutide can promote the expression of AMPKα and inhibit the expression of MAFbx, MuRF1 and 3-MH in myoblasts. A total of 15 multicentric DE-mRNAs were identified based on the Cytoscape-CytoHubba plug-in. Among them, Top2a had A3SS type AS. Functional annotation identifies multiple signaling pathways such as metabolic pathways, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, cAMP signaling pathway and cell cycle.

Conclusion: Liraglutide can alleviate the decrease of cell viability and degradation of muscle protein caused by high glucose, and improves cell metabolism and mitochondrial activity. The molecular mechanism of liraglutide to alleviate the effect of high glucose on myoblasts is complex. This study provides a theoretical basis for the clinical effectiveness of liraglutide in the treatment of skeletal muscle lesions in diabetes.