New therapeutic strategies against Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

Diabetes, especially type-II diabetes, is considered a global pandemic and promotes a direct effect on the heart. The main cause of mortality in diabetic patients is cardiovascular, and this may be increased by the frequent presence of obesity. In Diabetic Cardiomyopathy, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance induce cardiac inflammation, hypertrophy, fibrosis, steatosis and apoptosis phenomena that lead to heart dysfunction, though there is not a specific therapy for these patients. In this regard, stimulation of insulin-sensitizers as incretins by agonists of their receptors or by inhibition of their degradation, improves insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in diabetes, and reduces ischemic damage in infarcted subjects. Interestingly, due to the existence of incretin receptors in other tissues outside pancreas such as heart, incretin-associated insulin-independent actions may be suggested. However, the cellular mechanisms involved in these responses are not completely known, nor there is a specific diagnosis method for these patients. Thus, plasma biomarkers, related to those cardiac responses may be also identified in these patients for diagnosis and prognosis purposes. We will use animal and cellular models in correlation to data from plasma subjects to complete these knowledges.