Altered sphingolipid profile in response to skeletal muscle injury in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes mellitus

A complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is diabetic myopathy that includes reduced regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle. Sphingolipids are a diverse family of lipids with roles in skeletal muscle regeneration. Some studies have found changes in sphingolipid species levels in T1DM, however, the effect of T1DM on a sphingolipid panel in regenerating skeletal muscle has not been examined. Wild-type (WT) and diabetic Ins2^Akita+/- (Akita) mice received cardiotoxin-induced muscle injury in their left quadriceps, gastrocnemius-plantaris-soleus, and tibialis anterior muscles with the contralateral muscles serving as uninjured controls. Muscles were collected at 1, 3, 5, or 7 days postinjury. In regenerating muscle from Akita mice, lipid staining with BODIPY 493/503 revealed increased intramyocellular and total lipids and perilipin-1-positive cell numbers as compared with WT. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of quadriceps was used to identify sphingolipid levels in skeletal muscle. The C22:0 and C24:0 ceramides were significantly elevated in uninjured Akita, whereas ceramide C24:1 was decreased in injured Akita compared with WT. Ceramide-1-phosphate was increased in Akita compared with WT regardless of injury, whereas sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) was elevated with injury in WT but this response was muted in Akita mice. Western blotting of key enzymes involved in sphingolipid metabolism revealed S1P lyase, the enzyme that degrades S1P irreversibly, was significantly elevated in the injured muscle in Akita mice during regeneration, in accordance with lower S1P levels. This mouse model of T1DM demonstrates sphingolipidomic changes that may contribute to delayed muscle regeneration.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Muscle lipids become elevated, and the sphingolipid profile is altered by T1DM in skeletal muscle regeneration. A loss of S1P is accompanied by greater expression of sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase (SPL) in response to injury in Akita mice, suggesting a role for sphingolipids in the attenuated repair of skeletal muscle in T1DM rodent models. Although ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) is increased with T1DM, there was no increase in ceramide kinase (CerK) suggesting an alternative route of ceramide phosphorylation in skeletal muscle.