How GYY4137 Fights Diabetic Heart Disease

Diabetic heart disease, a common issue for people with type 2 diabetes, is still hard to prevent and treat. Scientists are exploring ways to protect the heart from this condition. One promising solution is GYY4137, a special molecule that slowly releases a gas called hydrogen sulfide. This gas can help protect heart cells. Researchers tested GYY4137 on mice with type 2 diabetes and on heart cells in a lab. They found that GYY4137 helped reduce heart damage, scarring, and a process called autophagy, where cells eat themselves. In both the mice and the lab cells, GYY4137 also reduced the activity of a protein called FOXO1, which is involved in autophagy. Another experiment showed that a drug called AS1842856, which blocks FOXO1, also protected heart cells from diabetes-related damage. This suggests that GYY4137 works by stopping FOXO1 from being too active. So, GYY4137 might be a useful way to protect hearts from the effects of type 2 diabetes. It does this by stopping a protein called FOXO1 from causing too much autophagy in heart cells.