Trehalose Activates Hepatic and Myocardial Autophagy and Has Anti-Inflammatory Effects in db / db Diabetic Mice

mice (carrying a mutation in the gene encoding leptin receptor) show autophagy suppression. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of autophagy inducer trehalose on liver and heart autophagy in mice and to study inflammation dysregulation and the suitability of chitinases' expression levels as diabetes markers. Thirty-eight male mice and C57/BL mice (control) were used. The model manifested inflammation symptoms: overexpression of in the spleen and underexpression of in the liver and spleen (cytokine imbalance). Simultaneously, we revealed decreased expression of chitotriosidase ( ) and acid mammalian chitinase ( ) in the liver of mice. expression in mice is significantly lower only in the spleen. Trehalose treatment significantly reduced blood glucose concentration and glycated hemoglobin. Treatment of mice by trehalose was followed by increased autophagy induction in the heart and liver (increased autolysosomes volume density studied by morphometric electron-microscopic method). Trehalose exerted beneficial cardiac effects possibly via increased lipophagy (uptake of lipid droplets). The autophagy activation by trehalose had several positive effects on the heart and liver of mice; therefore, lipophagy activation seems to be a promising therapy for diabetes.