Gene expression of cardiac tissues in dietary obese mice administered with a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor. Mus sp.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (Dpp4) inhibitors are used worldwide to combat diabetes, however, their roles in cardiovascular disorders are yet to be defined. Here we show that a DPP4 inhibitor, linagliptin, contributes for the suppression of capillary rarefaction in cardiac tissues of dietary obese mice model. Imposing a high fat diet into mice induced capillary rarefaction and cardiac dysfunction. These pathologies associated with high DPP4 level in circulation, and the administration of linagliptin into dietary obese mice suppressed the development of capillary rarefaction and ameliorated cardiac dysfunction. Early growth response protein 1 (EGR1), known as an angiogenic transcription factor, is significantly reduced in the cardiac tissue upon metabolic stress, and this suppression was inhibited by the administration of linagliptin. Overall design: Total RNA of cardiac tissue was obtained from a normal chow- and a high-fat diet-fed mice with or without a DPP-4 inhibitor. Mice were fed a high-fat diet or a normal chow for totally 8 weeks from 4 weeks age, and analyzed at 12 weeks of age.The DPP-4 inhibitor was administered within a water at the concentration of 10 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks since 4 weeks of age.