N-acetylcysteine alleviates oxidative stress and apoptosis and prevents skeletal muscle atrophy in type 1 diabetes mellitus through the NRF2/HO-1 pathway

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been linked to the occurrence of skeletal muscle atrophy. Insulin monotherapy may lead to excessive blood glucose fluctuations. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a clinically employed antioxidant, possesses cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. The objective of our study was to evaluate the viability of NAC as a supplementary treatment for T1DM, specifically regarding its therapeutic and preventative impacts on skeletal muscle. Here, we used beagles as T1DM model for 120d to explore the mechanism of NRF2/HO-1-mediated skeletal muscle oxidative stress and apoptosis and the therapeutic effects of NAC. Oxidative stress and apoptosis related factors were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blotting, and RT-qPCR assay. The findings indicated that the co-administration of NAC and insulin led to a reduction in creatine kinase levels, preventing weight loss and skeletal muscle atrophy. Improvement in the reduction of muscle fiber cross-sectional area. The expression of Atrogin-1, MuRF-1 and MyoD1 was downregulated, while Myh2 and MyoG were upregulated. In addition, CAT and GSH-Px levels were increased, MDA levels were decreased, and redox was maintained at a steady state. The decreased of key factors in the NRF2/HO-1 pathway, including NRF2, HO-1, NQO1, and SOD1, while KEAP1 increased. In addition, the apoptosis key factors Caspase-3, Bax, and Bak1 were found to be downregulated, while Bcl-2, Bcl-2/Bax, and CytC were upregulated. Our findings demonstrated that NAC and insulin mitigate oxidative stress and apoptosis in T1DM skeletal muscle and prevent skeletal muscle atrophy by activating the NRF2/HO-1 pathway.