Enhanced liver but not muscle OXPHOS in diabetes and reduced glucose output by complex I inhibition

Mitochondrial function is critical in energy metabolism. To fully capture how the mitochondrial function changes in metabolic disorders, we investigated mitochondrial function in liver and muscle of animal models mimicking different types and stages of diabetes. Type 1 diabetic mice were induced by streptozotocin (STZ) injection. The db/db mice were used as type 2 diabetic model. High‐fat diet‐induced obese mice represented pre‐diabetic stage of type 2 diabetes. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) of isolated mitochondria was measured with Clark‐type oxygen electrode. Both in early and late stages of type 1 diabetes, liver mitochondrial OXPHOS increased markedly with complex IV‐dependent OXPHOS being the most prominent. However, ATP, ADP and AMP contents in the tissue did not change. In pre‐diabetes and early stage of type 2 diabetes, liver mitochondrial complex I and II‐dependent OXPHOS increased greatly then declined to almost normal at late stage of type 2 diabetes, among which alteration of complex I‐dependent OXPHOS was the most significant. In contrast, muscle mitochondrial OXPHOS in HFD, early‐stage type 1 and 2 diabetic mice, did not change. In vitro, among inhibitors to each complex, only complex I inhibitor rotenone decreased glucose output in primary hepatocytes without cytotoxicity both in the absence and presence of oleic acid (OA). Rotenone affected cellular energy state and had no effects on cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production. Taken together, the mitochondrial OXPHOS of liver but not muscle increased in obesity and diabetes, and only complex I inhibition may ameliorate hyperglycaemia via lowering hepatic glucose production.