Diabetes is characterized by high glucose (HG) levels in the blood circulation, leading to exposure of the vascular endothelium to HG conditions. Hyperglycemia causes oxidative stress via excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the endothelium, which leads to cellular dysfunction and the development of diabetic vascular diseases. Substance-P (SP) is an endogenous peptide involved in cell proliferation and migration by activating survival-related signaling pathways. In this study, we evaluated the role of SP in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) in HG-induced oxidative stress. CMECs were treated with diverse concentrations of glucose, and then the optimal dose was determined. Treatment of CMECs with HG reduced their viability and induced excessive ROS secretion, inactivation of PI3/Akt signaling, and loss of vasculature-forming ability in vitro. Notably, HG treatment altered the cytokine profile of CMECs. However, SP treatment inhibited the HG-mediated aggravation of CMECs by restoring viability, free radical balance, and paracrine potential. SP-treated CMECs retained the capacity to form compact and long stretching-tube structures. Collectively, our data provide evidence that SP treatment can block endothelial dysfunction in hyperglycemia and suggest the possibility of using SP for treating diabetic complications as an antioxidant.
Keywords: cardiac microvascular endothelial cells; hyperglycemia; oxidative stress; substance-P.