Reduced Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Levels Exacerbate Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Associated Complications in a High-Fat Diet Mouse Model

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasingly prevalent and frequently associated with obesity, insulin resistance, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and chronic kidney disease. Emerging evidence suggests sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive sphingolipid, plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of T2DM. This study aimed to investigate how reduced S1P levels impact T2DM development. S1P lyase knock-in (S1PLC317A KI) mice, characterized by reduced S1P levels due to impaired S1P degradation, were compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce T2DM. Parameters including body weight, insulin resistance, blood glucose levels, hepatic fat accumulation, and kidney pathology were evaluated. Next-generation sequencing was employed to identify differentially expressed genes. S1PLC317A KI mice exhibited greater body weight, more pronounced insulin resistance, and higher blood glucose levels compared to WT mice on an HFD. Increased hepatic fat deposition and worsened diabetic kidney disease were also observed in KI mice. Sequencing analysis identified 4,656 differentially expressed genes, notably enriched in mitochondrial and bioenergetic pathways, including 133 diabetes-related genes. Reduced S1P levels exacerbate T2DM symptoms, indicating that therapeutic targeting of S1P pathways may offer promising strategies for treating T2DM and its related complications.