Efeito do peroxido de hidrogênio sobre a produção de citocinas pró-inflamatórias em células HEPG2

Abstract

In 2022, approximately 2.5 billion adults were overweight. Associated with this condition are various comorbidities, including diabetes, which is related to hyperglycemia and insulin resistance due to a failure in insulin production or an inability to use it properly. Related to this, oxidative stress has been associated with type 2 diabetes; however, the exact molecular mechanisms involved in this process are not yet fully understood. Therefore, contributions are needed to better understand the molecular mechanisms that link glycemic metabolism to oxidative stress. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of oxidative stress, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, in inducing insulin resistance in HEPG2 cells. METHODOLOGY: HEPG2 cells were cultured in DMEM medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 μg/ml streptomycin, with n = 4 and technical duplicates. Following treatment with H2O2 and insulin, H2O2 was administered at doses of 10, 50, 100, and 500 pmol/L with exposure times of 0, 2, 12, and 24 hours. Insulin was administered at a dose of 10 mmol/L, with exposure times of 10 minutes and 24 hours, also with n = 2 and technical duplicates. The mechanism of insulin resistance and cell histology were evaluated, and ELISA tests were conducted. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The images obtained confirmed the typical morphological characteristics of HEPG2 cells. In this study, no statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in the levels of TNF-α (F = 0.857; p = 0.636) and IL-10 (F = 0.486; p = 0.899) between treated and untreated groups. CONCLUSION: In this study, it was inferred that treatment with H2O2 did not show significant differences in the analyzed cytokine levels. However, it is evident that further studies are necessary to evaluate the insulin signaling pathway.