Whole Grain Proso Millet (<i>Panicum miliaceum L.</i>) Attenuates Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetic Mice: Involvement of miRNA Profile
Xu Deng, Jiayi Liang, Lehui Wang, Li Niu, Jin Xiao, Qianqian Guo, Xuebo Liu, Chunxia Xiao
Abstract
This work aimed to investigate the hypoglycemic effects and underlying mechanism of whole grain proso millet ( Panicum miliaceum L.; WPM) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The results showed that WPM supplementation significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG) and serum lipid levels in T2DM mice induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) combined with streptozotocin (STZ), with improved glucose tolerance, liver and kidney injury, and insulin resistance. In addition, WPM significantly inhibited the expression of gluconeogenesis-related genes G6pase, Pepck, Foxo1, and Pgc -1α . Further study by miRNA high-throughput sequencing revealed that WPM supplementation mainly altered the liver miRNA expression profile of T2DM mice by increasing the expression of miR-144–3p_R-1 and miR-423–5p, reducing the expression of miR-22–5p_R-1 and miR-30a-3p. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the target genes of these miRNAs were mainly enriched in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. WPM supplementation significantly increased the level of PI3K, p-AKT, and GSK3β in the liver of T2DM mice. Taken together, WPM exerts antidiabetic effects by improving the miRNA profile and activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to inhibit gluconeogenesis. This study implies that PM can act as a dietary supplement to attenuate T2DM.