Islet inflammation is associated with defective β cell function and mass in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) has been identified as an important regulator of inflammation in different diseased conditions. However, the role of GSK3 in islet inflammation in the context of diabetes remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the direct implication of GSK3 in islet inflammation in vitro and tested the impact of GSK3 inhibition in vivo, on the reduction of islet inflammation, and the improvement of glucose metabolism in the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat, a spontaneous model of T2D. GK rats were chronically treated with infra-therapeutic doses of lithium, a widely used inhibitor of GSK3. We analyzed parameters of glucose homeostasis as well as islet inflammation and fibrosis in the endocrine pancreas. Ex vivo, we tested the impact of GSK3 inhibition on the autonomous inflammatory response of non-diabetic rat and human islets, exposed to a mix of pro-inflammatory cytokines to mimic an inflammatory environment. Treatment of young GK rats with lithium prevented the development of overt diabetes. Lithium treatment resulted in reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the islets. It decreased islet fibrosis and partially restored the glucose-induced insulin secretion in GK rats. Studies in non-diabetic human and rat islets exposed to inflammatory environment revealed the direct implication of GSK3 in the islet autonomous inflammatory response. We show for the first time, the implication of GSK3 in islet inflammation and suggest this enzyme as a viable target to treat diabetes-associated inflammation.

Purinergic P2Y receptors, by binding adenosine triphosphate (ATP), are known for enhancing glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in pancreatic β cells. However, the impact of these receptors in the actin dynamics and insulin granule exocytosis in these cells is not established, neither in normal nor in glucotoxic environment. In this study, we investigate the involvement of P2Y receptors on the behavior of insulin granules and the subcortical actin network dynamics in INS-1 832/13 β cells exposed to normal or glucotoxic environment and their role in GSIS. Our results show that the activation of P2Y purinergic receptors by ATP or its agonist increase the insulin granules exocytosis and the reorganization of the subcortical actin network and participate in the potentiation of GSIS. In addition, their activation in INS-1832/ 13 β-cells, with impaired insulin secretion following exposure to elevated glucose levels, restores GSIS competence through the distal steps of insulin exocytosis.These results are confirmed ex vivo by perifusion experiments on islets from type 2 diabetic (T2D) Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. Indeed, the P2Y receptor agonist restores the altered GSIS, which is normally lost in this T2D animal model. Moreover, we observed an improvement of the glucose tolerance, following the acute intraperitoneal injection of the P2Y agonist concomitantly with glucose, in diabetic GK rats. All these data provide new insights into the unprecedented therapeutic role of P2Y purinergic receptors in the pathophysiology of T2D.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely prescribed for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties as a treatment for a variety of diseases. The use of GCs is associated with important side effects, including diabetogenic effects. However, the underlying mechanisms of GC-mediated diabetogenic effects in β-cells are not well understood. In this study we investigated the role of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) in the mediation of β-cell death and dysfunction induced by GCs. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches we showed that GSK3 is involved in GC-induced β-cell death and impaired insulin secretion. Further, we unraveled the underlying mechanisms of GC-GSK3 crosstalk. We showed that GSK3 is marginally implicated in the nuclear localization of GC receptor (GR) upon ligand binding. Furthermore, we showed that GSK3 regulates the expression of GR at mRNA and protein levels. Finally, we dissected the proper contribution of each GSK3 isoform and showed that GSK3β isoform is sufficient to mediate the pro-apoptotic effects of GCs in β-cells. Collectively, in this work we identified GSK3 as a viable target to mitigate GC deleterious effects in pancreatic β-cells.