Abstract
BACKGROUND: L-carnitine (LC) has many beneficial effects on diabetic animals and humans, but its regulatory effect on chemerin as an inflammatory cytokine, and its receptor in diabetes status is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the regulatory effect of LC on the expression of chemerin and chemokine-like receptor I (CMKLRI) in adipose and cardiac tissues of diabetic mice. METHODS: Sixty NMARI mice were divided into four groups including control, diabetic, diabetic + LC supplementation and control + LC supplementation. Diabetes was induced by feeding the animals a high-calorie diet for 5 weeks and injection of Streptozotocin. The animals were treated with 300 mg/kg LC for 28 days. On days 7, 14, and 28 after treatment, the mRNA and protein levels of chemerin and CMKLRI in the cardiac and adipose tissues of the animals were determined using qPCR analysis and ELISA. Insulin resistance indices were also measured in all experimental groups. Differences with p <0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Chemerin and CMKLRI expressions levels were increased in cardiac and adipose tissues of diabetic mice on days 14 and 28 after diabetes induction, concurrent with the incidence of insulin resistance and increased levels of circulating chemerin (p<0.05). The treatment with LC caused a significant decrease in the expression of both genes in studied tissues and the reduction of insulin resistance symptoms and serum chemerin levels (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that LC treatment were able to downregulate the expression of chemerin and CKLR1 in cardiac and adipose tissues of obese, diabetic experimental animals.