Repurposing statin and L-glutamine: replenishing β-cells in hyperlipidemic T2D mouse model

While cases of obesity-induced type 2 diabetes (T2D) are on the upswing, current therapies help only manage the symptoms. Of late, L-glutamine has been implicated in the amelioration of T2D by virtue of its glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretagogue property. Alongside, there are mixed reports on adiponectin (insulin sensitizer) potentiating property of statins. We aimed to investigate the effect of pitavastatin (P) and L-glutamine (LG) combination on glycemic control and pancreatic {beta}-cell regeneration in a high-fat diet (HFD)+Streptozotocin (STZ) induced T2D mouse model. C57BL6/J mice treated with HFD+STZ were randomly assigned into four groups: Diabetic control, L-glutamine, Pitavastatin and P+LG. Control group was fed with the chow diet. Significant amelioration in insulin resistance along with plasma glucose, lipid profile, adiponectin levels, and mitochondrial complexes I, II, III activities were observed in P+LG group as compared to HFD+STZ treated group. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, glucose 6-phophatase, glycogen phosphorylase, and GLUT2 transcript levels were reduced with increased glycogen synthase transcript levels in liver. Further, the protein levels of Insulin receptor 1-{beta}, pAkt/Akt, and AdipoR1 were restored in the skeletal muscle and a significant increase in islet number as a result of {beta}-cell regeneration and reduced {beta}-cell death were also observed in the combination drug treated group. Thus, L-glutamine and pitavastatin in combination can induce {beta}-cell regeneration and regulate glucose homeostasis to bring about amelioration of HFD+STZ induced T2D.