Effects of Liraglutide and Semaglutide on Cardiometabolic Dysregulation and Oxidative Stress in an Experimental Model of Metabolic Syndrome

Figures

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  Figure 1. Schematic representation of experimental protocol design. Created in BioRender. Srejovic, I. (2026) https://BioRender.com/4sk383o (accessed on 14 September 2026).

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  Figure 2. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on body weight and fasting blood glucose during treatment. (A) Body weight; (B) fasting blood glucose; 0—baseline, before treatment initiation; 3—week 3 of treatment; 6—week 6 of treatment. Within-group comparisons between time points: * p < 0.05, 0 vs. 3; # p < 0.05, 0 vs. 6. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Šídák multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 3. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on blood glucose and insulin during the OGTT. (A) Blood glucose at 0′ (fasting) and 30′, 60′, 90′, 120′, and 180′ after glucose administration; (B) insulin at 0′ and 180′. Between-group comparisons: a p < 0.05 vs. MetS; b p < 0.05 liraglutide vs. semaglutide. In (B), * p < 0.05, 0′ vs. 180′ within the same group. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Šídák multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 4. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on total cholesterol and triglycerides. (A) Total cholesterol; (B) triglycerides. Between-group comparisons: statistical significance at the level of p < 0.05. a—MetS vs. liraglutide; b—MetS vs. semaglutide;. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD.

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  Figure 5. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on systolic blood pressure during treatment. 0—baseline, before treatment initiation; 3—week 3 of treatment; 6—week 6 of treatment. Within-group comparisons across time: statistical significance at the level p < 0.05 * 0 vs. 3; # 0 vs. 6. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Šídák multiple-comparisons test. Values are mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 6. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on cardiodynamic parameters between experimental groups. (A) dp/dt max—the maximum rate of LV pressure development, (B) dp/dt min—minimum rate of LV pressure development, (C) SLVP—systolic LV pressure, (D) DLVP—diastolic LV pressure, (E) HR—heart rate, and (F) CF—coronary flow. Between-group comparisons at three time points. S—end of the stabilization period; 1′ and 60′—1st and 60th minute of reperfusion. a—MetS vs. liraglutide; b—MetS vs. semaglutide; c—liraglutide vs. semaglutide. Statistical significance at the level of p < 0.05. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Šídák multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 7. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on cardiodynamic parameters between specific time points in the experimental group. (A) dp/dt max—the maximum rate of LV pressure development, (B) dp/dt min—minimum rate of LV pressure development, (C) SLVP—systolic LV pressure, (D) DLVP—diastolic LV pressure, (E) HR—heart rate, and (F) CF—coronary flow. S—end of the stabilization period; 1′ and 60′—1st and 60th minute of reperfusion. Within-group comparisons between time points: * S vs. 1′; # S vs. 60′; $ 1′ vs. 60′. Statistical significance at the level of p < 0.05. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Šídák multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 8. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on pro-oxidant parameters in plasma. (A) TBARS; (B) NO2−; (C) O2−; (D) H2O2. Between-group comparisons. a—MetS vs. liraglutide; b—MetS vs. semaglutide; c—liraglutide vs. semaglutide. Statistical significance at the level of p < 0.05. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 9. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on antioxidant parameters in peripheral venous blood erythrocyte lysate. (A) SOD; (B) GSH; (C) CAT. Between-group comparisons. a—MetS vs. liraglutide; b—MetS vs. semaglutide; c—liraglutide vs. semaglutide. Statistical significance at the level of p < 0.05. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 10. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on pro-oxidant levels in CVE between experimental groups. (A) TBARS; (B) NO2−; (C) O2−; (D) H2O2. Between-group comparisons at three time points. S—end of the stabilization period; 1′ and 60′—1st and 60th minute of reperfusion. a—MetS vs. liraglutide; b—MetS vs. semaglutide; c—liraglutide vs. semaglutide. Statistical significance at the level of p < 0.05. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Šídák multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 11. Effects of liraglutide and semaglutide on pro-oxidant levels between specific time points in the experimental group in CVE. (A) TBARS; (B) NO2−; (C) O2−; (D) H2O2. S—end of the stabilization period; 1′ and 60′—1st and 60th minutes of reperfusion. Within-group comparisons between time points: * S vs. 1′; # S vs. 60′; $ 1′ vs. 60′. Statistical significance at the level of p < 0.05. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Šídák multiple-comparisons test. Values are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10 per group.

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  Figure 12. Representative micrograph of HE-stained cardiac tissue from rats with metabolic syndrome treated with liraglutide or semaglutide. Total magnification 40×, scale bar = 20 µm. All sections were stained in the same run and imaged under identical acquisition settings.