Abstract

High uric acid (HUA) is associated with insulin resistance and abnormal glucose metabolism in cardiomyocytes. Metformin is a recognized agonist of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and an antidiabetic drug widely used for type 2 diabetes. It can play a cardioprotective role in many pathways. We investigated whether metformin protects against HUA-induced insulin resistance and abnormal glucose metabolism in cardiomyocytes. We exposed primary cardiomyocytes to HUA, and cellular glucose uptake was quantified by measuring the uptake of 2-NBDG, a fluorescent glucose analog, after insulin excitation. Treatment with metformin (10 mol/L) protected against HUA-inhibited glucose uptake induced by insulin in primary cardiomyocytes, as shown by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. HUA directly inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and the translocation of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) induced by insulin, which was blocked by metformin. Metformin promoted phosphorylation of AMPK, renewed HUA-inhibited glucose uptake induced by insulin and protected against insulin resistance in cardiomyocytes. As a result of these effects, in a mouse model of acute hyperuricemia, metformin improved insulin tolerance and glucose tolerance, accompanied by increased AMPK phosphorylation, Akt phosphorylation and translocation of GLUT4 in myocardial tissues. As expected, AICAR, another AMPK activator, had equivalent effects to metformin, demonstrating the important role of AMPK activation in protecting against insulin resistance induced by HUA in cardiomyocytes. Metformin protects against insulin resistance induced by HUA in cardiomyocytes and improves insulin tolerance and glucose tolerance in an acute hyperuricemic mouse model, along with the activation of AMPK. Consequently, metformin may be an important potential new treatment strategy for hyperuricemia-related cardiovascular disease.