Activation of 12-lipoxygenase in proinflammatory cytokine-mediated beta cell toxicity

Beta cell inflammation and cytokine-induced toxicity are central to autoimmune diabetes development. Lipid mediators generated upon lipoxygenase (LO) activation can participate in inflammatory pathways. 12LO-deficient mice are resistant to streptozotocin-induced diabetes. This study sought to characterise the cellular processes involving 12LO-activation lipid inflammatory mediator production in cytokine-treated pancreatic beta cells.

Basal expression of leucocyte type 12LO protein was found in human and mouse islets and in several rodent beta cell lines. In mouse β-TC3 cells, and in human islets, cytokines induced release of 12-HETE within 30 min. Cytokine addition also induced a rapid translocation of 12LO protein from the cytosol to the nucleus of β-TC3 cells as shown by subcellular fractionation and immunostaining. Cytokine-induced cell death and inhibition of insulin secretion were partially reversed by baicalein, a 12LO inhibitor. 12(S)-HETE inhibited β-TC3 cell insulin release in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Incubating β-TC3 cells with 100 nmol/l of 12(S)-HETE resulted in a 57% reduction in basal insulin release (6 h), and a 17% increase in cell death (18 h) as compared with untreated cells. 12(S)-HETE activated the stress-activated protein kinase c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 within 15 min, as judged by increased kinase protein phosphorylation.

The data suggest that inflammatory cytokines rapidly activate 12LO and show for the first time that cytokines induce 12LO translocation. The effects of 12-HETE on insulin secretion, cytotoxicity and kinase activation were similar to the effects seen with cytokines. The results provide mechanistic information of cytokine-induced toxic effects on pancreatic beta cells and support the hypothesis that blocking 12LO activation could provide a new therapeutic way to protect pancreatic beta cells from autoimmune injury.