Inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) protects hippocampal neurons and reduces cognitive decline in type 2 diabetic mice

• Published in: The European journal of neuroscience 2021-04, Vol.53 (8), p.2532-2540
• Main Authors: Wu, Jing, Fan, Zhen, Zhao, Yuxing, Chen, Qiunan, Xiao, Qian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Benzoic acid; Cognitive ability; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Epoxide hydrolase; Hippocampus; Inflammation; Metabolic disorders; Oxidative stress; Postsynaptic density; Postsynaptic density proteins; Proline; Protein-tyrosine kinase; Pyk2; ROS; sEH inhibitor; Staphylococcal enterotoxin H; Synaptic plasticity
• ISSN: 0953-816X; 1460-9568
• DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15150

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that can lead to cognitive dysfunction. The hippocampus plays an important role in the cognitive function. Research has identified correlations between hippocampal impairment and diabetes, yet their intermediate remains unclear. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an enzyme that degrades epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which have multiple protective effects by suppressing inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress. In this study, under diabetic conditions both hippocampal injury and cognitive decline are accompanied by upregulation of sEH. Moreover, the sEH inhibitor trans‐4‐[4‐(3‐adamantan‐1‐y1‐ureido)‐cyclohexyloxy]‐benzoic acid (t‐AUCB) prevents cognitive dysfunction and decreased ROS accumulation and apoptosis in the diabetic hippocampus. t‐AUCB treatment restored neuronal synaptic plasticity by restoring the expression of the postsynaptic proteins Postsynaptic density protein‐95 (PSD95) and N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor subunit 2B (NR2B), the levels of which were positively correlated with Proline‐rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) levels under diabetic conditions. Thus, we suggest that hippocampal protection via sEH inhibition might be a potential therapeutic approach to attenuate the progression of cognitive decline in diabetes. Diabetes can lead to hippocampal injury and cognitive decline. We showed that sEH inhibitor t‐AUCB protects against hippocampal injury by alleviating oxidative stress, apoptosis and restoring neuronal synaptic plasticity.Targeting sEH may be an effective way to improve the cognitive impairment of diabetes.