BackgroundThis study investigated the effect of exenatide on the cardiac expression of adiponectin receptor 1 and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase subunits and heart function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.MethodsMale Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups, i.e. control group, diabetic group, diabetic treated with low doses of exenatide (2 μg · kg−1.d−1) and diabetic treated with high doses of exenatide (10 μg · kg−1.d−1). Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg body weight). At the termination after exenatide treatment for eight weeks, following anesthesia of the rats, a catheter was inserted into the left ventricle through the right common carotid artery for measurement of left ventricular pressure, which included left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and the maximal rate of rise and decline of ventricular pressure (±dp/dt[max]). Plasma and myocardial adiponectin levels, and the expressions of myocardial adiponectin receptor 1, p22phox, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), glucose transporter type 4 (Glut4), AMPK-α, phosphorylated-AMPK-α, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and copper zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn-SOD) were assayed.ResultsHeart function, plasma adiponectin levels, the protein expression of myocardial phosphorylated-AMPK-α, the mRNA expression of myocardial Glut4, and the positive expression of myocardial Cu-Zn-SOD were significantly decreased in diabetic. The protein expression of myocardial adiponectin receptor 1, the mRNA expression of myocardial p22phox and NOX4, and the positive expression of myocardial CTGF were significantly increased in diabetic. Low and high doses of exenatide treatment significantly attenuated these changes in diabetic rats.ConclusionsThese results suggest that exenatide may contribute to the improvement of the heart function in diabetic rats by down-regulating the expression of myocardial adiponectin receptor 1, p22phox and NOX4, and up-regulating plasma adiponectin level and the expression of myocardial AMPK-α, Glut4 and Cu-Zn-SOD.