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Diabetic retinopathy leads to retinal malfunction, blindness, and reduced quality of life in adult diabetes patients. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulation stimulated by high blood glucose levels opens the opportunity for ROS modulator agents such as MitoTEMPOL. This study aims to explore the effect of MitoTEMPOL on ROS balance that may be correlated with retinal vascularization pattern, autophagy, and apoptosis in a streptozotocin-induced rat model. Four groups of male Wistar rats (i.e., control, TEMPOL (100 mg/kg body weight [BW]), diabetic (streptozotocin, 50 mg/kg BW single dose), and diabetic + TEMPOL; n = 5 for each group) were used in the study. MitoTEMPOL was given for 5 weeks, followed by funduscopy, and gene and protein expression were explored from the rat’s retina. Streptozotocin injection decreased bodyweight and increased food and water intake, as well as fasting blood glucose. The results showed that MitoTEMPOL reduced retinal vascularization pattern and decreased superoxide dismutase gene expression and protein carbonyl, caspase 3, and caspase 9 protein levels. A modulation of autophagy in diabetes that was reversed in the diabetic + TEMPOL group was found. In conclusion, MitoTEMPOL modulation on autophagy and apoptosis contributes to its role as a potent antioxidant to prevent diabetic retinopathy by inhibiting ROS-induced retinal vascularization patterns.

Cancer cachexia is a syndrome experienced by many patients with cancer. Exercise can act as an autophagy modulator, and thus holds the potential to be used to treat cancer cachexia. Autophagy imbalance plays an important role in cancer cachexia, and is correlated to skeletal and cardiac muscle atrophy and energy-wasting in the liver. The molecular mechanism of autophagy modulation in different types of exercise has not yet been clearly defined. This review aims to elaborate on the role of exercise in modulating autophagy in cancer cachexia. We evaluated nine studies in the literature and found a potential correlation between the type of exercise and autophagy modulation. Combined exercise or aerobic exercise alone seems more beneficial than resistance exercise alone in cancer cachexia. Looking ahead, determining the physiological role of autophagy modulated by exercise will support the development of a new medical approach for treating cancer cachexia. In addition, the harmonization of the exercise type, intensity, and duration might play a key role in optimizing the autophagy levels to preserve muscle function and regulate energy utilization in the liver.