High glucose changes mitochondrial dynamics in cultured human glomerular endothelial cells

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of high glucose on mitochondrial dynamic changes in cultured human glomerular endothelial cells（HGECs）.METHODS HGECs were subjected to high glucose(44.4 mmol·L;) or mannitol for six-hour or twenty-hour.Cells were collected for real-time polymerase chain reactions. RESULTS After six hours, mRNA expression of mitochondrial fusion protein mitofusion（MFN）-2, but not MFN1, was increased in HGEC stimulated with high glucose. It suggests that exchanges of intramitochondrial material are enhanced. Message RNA expression of mitochondrial fission factor（MFF） was increased as well,indicating an increase in mitochondrial fragmentation,probably leading to mitophagy. Nevertheless, the enhanced mitochondrial dynamic changes were not observed after 24 h stimulation. Thus, the transient mitochondrial dynamic changes indicate an adaptive mechanism in HEGC challenging with high glucose. CONCLUSION High glucose transiently alters mitochondrial dynamic genes expression in HGEC. Further experiments will be designed to investigate underlying mechanisms in HGEC as well as in glomerular endothelial cells of diabetic nephropathy.