CASP3 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: As reflected in Figure 6, the degree of apoptosis in heart tissues of T2DM mice was significantly higher than that of normal mice (p < 0.01, Figures 6A,B), and the expressions of apoptosis proteins caspase-3 (Figures 6C,D) and Bax (Figures 6E,F) in tissues were significantly upregulated (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05), while the expression of Bcl-2 protein was significantly decreased (p < 0.01, Figures 6G,H).