Differential regulation of glucose transporter gene expression in mouse macrophages by cottonseed toxin gossypol and bacterial toxin lipopolysaccharides

Authors: Cao, Heping; Sethumadhavan, Kandan

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/10/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Objective: Cottonseed is a byproduct of cotton fiber industry. Cottonseed contains many bioactive compounds. These bioactive compounds from other plant sources have been used for disease prevention and treatment since ancient history. Therefore, cottonseed value may be increased by providing bioactive compounds for health promotion and disease prevention. The objective of this study was to explore the bioactivity of cottonseed toxin gossypol and compared to bacterial toxin lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on the regulation of glucose transporter (Glut) gene expression in mouse macrophages. Methods: Selection of macrophages and Glut genes was because macrophages are involved in insulin resistance and metabolic diseases and Glut proteins are critically important for host immunity due to facilitating glucose transport across the lipid membrane of the cell. Macrophages were treated with various concentrations of gossypol and LPS for different time followed by qPCR analysis of mRNA levels using Rpl32 as the internal reference and 1% DMSO as sample control. Results: We initially evaluated the basal mRNA levels of Class I facilitative Gluts: Glut1, Glut2, Glut3 and Glut4 in the mouse RAW264.7 macrophages. Relative to Glut1 mRNA, Glut3 was more abundant than Glut1 but Glut4 was much less and Glut2 was undetectable in the macrophages. qPCR results showed that both gossypol and LPS stimulated Glut gene expression but gossypol was a stronger stimulator in regulating Glut gene expression in the mouse macrophages. Conclusion: This study suggest the potential value of gossypol for regulating macrophage immunity.