Rova Virgana - Department of Ophthalmology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Julia Gunadi - Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Nur Atik - Biology Cell Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Kwee Limdawati - Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Diana Jasaputra - Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Roro Wahyudianingsih - Department of Pathology Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Nadya Suardi - Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Ray Soetadji - Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Hanna Goenawan - Physiology Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Ronny Lesmana - Physiology Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Arief Kartasasmita - Department of Ophthalmology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

Objective(s): This study aims to explore the effect of mitoTEMPOL on histopathology, lipid droplet, and mitophagy gene expression of Wistar rat’s liver after injection of streptozotocin (STZ).Materials and Methods: Twenty male Wistar rats were divided into ۴ groups: Control (n=۵); ۱۰۰ mg/kg BW/day mitoTEMPOL orally (n=۵); ۵۰ mg/kg BW STZ intraperitoneal injection (n=۵); and mitoTEMPOL+STZ (n=۵). STZ was given a single dose, while mitoTEMPOL was given for ۵ weeks after ۱ week of STZ injection. Histopathological appearance, lipid droplets, mitophagy, and autophagy gene expression were examined after the mitoTEMPOL treatment. Results: We found metabolic zone shifting that might be correlated with the liver activity of fatty acid oxidation in the STZ group, a decrease of lipid droplets in mitoTEMPOL and mitoTEMPOL + STZ compared with Control and STZ groups were found in this study. We also found significant changes in PINK۱, Parkin, BNIP۳, Mfn۱, and LC۳ gene expression, but no difference in Opa۱, Fis۱, Drp۱, and p۶۲ gene expression, suggesting a change of mitochondrial fusion rather than mitochondrial fission correlated with mitophagy.Conclusion: All this concluded that mitoTEMPOL could act as a modulator of mitophagy and metabolic function of the liver, thus amplifying its crucial role in preventing mitochondrial damage in the liver in the early onset of diabetes mellitus.

Anti-Oxidants, Lipid droplet, Mitochondrial dynamics, Mitophagy, Metabolic zone, Oxidative stress