nitroarginine and Diabetic-Angiopathies

The aim of the present study was to investigate an ethanolic extract of Kaempferia parviflora (KPE) reduces oxidative stress and preserves endothelial function in aortae from diabetic rats.. Diabetes was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by streptozotocin (STZ) treatment (55 mg/kg i.v.). Vascular reactivity and superoxide generation were assessed in aortic rings using standard organ bath techniques and lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence, respectively.. Eight weeks after STZ treatment blood glucose was elevated compared to citrate treated control rats and there was an increased aortic generation of superoxide anion. In aortic rings acetylcholine-induced relaxation was impaired whereas endothelium-independent relaxation to sodium nitroprusside was unaffected. When aortic rings were acutely exposed to KPE (1, 10 and 100 μg/ml) there was a significant reduction in the detection of superoxide anion and enhanced relaxation to acetylcholine. Two separate groups of rats (control and diabetic) were orally administered daily with KPE (100 mg/kg body weight) for 4 weeks. KPE treatment reduced superoxide generation and increased the nitrite levels in diabetic aortae, and enhanced acetylcholine-induced relaxation. In the presence of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), the relaxation to acetylcholine in aortic rings of diabetic rats was only partially inhibited, but was totally abolished in aortic rings from the KPE-treated diabetic rats. Indomethacin did not affect relaxation to acetylcholine in aortic rings of any group.. These results suggest that KPE, acutely in vitro or after 4 weeks administration in vivo, reduces oxidant stress, increases NO bioavailability and preserves endothelium-dependent relaxation in aortae from diabetic rats.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Animals; Antioxidants; Aorta, Thoracic; Blood Glucose; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Diabetic Angiopathies; Endothelium, Vascular; Ethnopharmacology; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Nitrites; Nitroarginine; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Plants, Medicinal; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Superoxides; Thailand; Vasodilation; Zingiberaceae

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients, which in turn is also associated with low levels of serum testosterone. The working hypothesis was that diabetes might modify the mechanisms involved in the vascular actions of testosterone in isolated rabbit carotid arteries. Testosterone (10(-8)-3x10(-4)M) induced a concentration-dependent relaxation of precontracted carotid arteries, which was higher in diabetic than in control rabbits. In control rabbits neither endothelium removal nor the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-nitro-l-arginine (l-NOArg, 10(-5)M) modified the relaxant action of testosterone, and the cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor indomethacin (10(-5)M) enhanced this relaxation. In contrast, in diabetic rabbits endothelium removal, l-NOArg (10(-5)M) or indomethacin (10(-5)M) inhibited the testosterone induced relaxation. In arteries from diabetic rabbits, eNOS, iNOS and COX-2 expression and testosterone induced release of prostacyclin resulted enhanced in comparison with arteries from control rabbits. Testosterone (10(-4)M) strongly inhibited CaCl(2) (10(-5)-3x10(-2)M) concentration-related contractions of the carotid artery both in control and diabetic rabbits. These results suggest that testosterone relaxes the rabbit carotid artery by blocking the extracellular calcium entry. Diabetes enhances the vasodilator response of the rabbit carotid artery to testosterone by a mechanism that at least includes an increased modulatory activity of the endothelial nitric oxide and an augmented release of COX-2 vasodilator, prostacyclin rather than the absence of COX-1 vasoconstrictor, thromboxane A(2). The hypotestosteronemia observed in diabetic rabbits could be a consequence of the increased expression of iNOS and could contribute to the hyperreactivity of the rabbit carotid artery to testosterone.

Topics: Animals; Apamin; Blood Glucose; Blotting, Western; Calcium; Carotid Arteries; Carotid Artery Diseases; Charybdotoxin; Cyclooxygenase 2; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Diabetic Angiopathies; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endothelium, Vascular; Epoprostenol; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Indomethacin; Male; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; Nitroarginine; Potassium; Potassium Channel Blockers; Rabbits; Testosterone; Thromboxane A2; Vasodilation

Endothelin (ET)-1 is a likely candidate for a key role in diabetic vascular complications. However, no abnormalities in the vascular responsiveness to ET-1 have been identified in the chronic stage of type 2 diabetes. Our goal was to look for abnormalities in the roles played by ET receptors (ET(A) and ET(B)) in the mesenteric artery of the type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat and to identify the molecular mechanisms involved. Using mesenteric arteries from later-stage (32-38 wk old) individuals, we compared the ET-1-induced contraction and the relaxation induced by the selective ET(B) receptor agonist IRL1620 between GK rats and control Wistar rats. Mesenteric artery ERK activity and the protein expressions for ET receptors and MEK were also measured. In GK rats (vs. age-matched Wistar rats), we found as follows. 1) The ET-1-induced contraction was greater and was attenuated by BQ-123 (ET(A) antagonist) but not by BQ-788 (ET(B) antagonist). In the controls, BQ-788 augmented this contraction. 2) Both the relaxation and nitric oxide (NO) production induced by IRL1620 were reduced. 3) ET-1-induced contraction was enhanced by N(G)-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA; NO synthase inhibitor) but suppressed by sodium nitroprusside (NO donor). 4) The enhanced ET-1-induced contraction was reduced by MEK/ERK pathway inhibitors (PD-98059 or U0126). 5) ET-1-stimulated ERK activation was increased, as were the ET(A) and MEK1/2 protein expressions. 6) Mesenteric ET-1 content was increased. These results suggest that upregulation of ET(A), a defect in ET(B)-mediated NO signaling, and activation of the MEK/ERK pathway together represent a likely mechanism mediating the hyperreactivity to ET-1 examined in this study.

Topics: Angiotensin II; Animals; Arginine Vasopressin; Butadienes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diabetic Angiopathies; Disease Models, Animal; Disease Progression; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endothelin-1; Endothelins; Enzyme Inhibitors; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Flavonoids; Male; MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; Mesenteric Arteries; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitriles; Nitroarginine; Nitroprusside; Oligopeptides; Peptide Fragments; Peptides, Cyclic; Piperidines; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Endothelin A; Receptor, Endothelin B; Signal Transduction; Vasoconstriction; Vasodilation

This study assessed the effect of metformin treatment on insulin, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and endothelial function in insulin-resistant (IR) rats. In addition, we assessed the direct effect of metformin in vitro. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to control (n=28) or IR (n=28) groups. Rats were further randomized to receive metformin (300 mg/kg) or placebo for 2 weeks. MAP and insulin were measured. Subsequently, a third-order branch of the superior mesenteric artery was isolated, and endothelial function was assessed. Specifically, dose-response experiments of acetylcholine (ACh) with or without N-nitro-L-arginine (LNNA) were performed. For in vitro experiments, mesenteric arteries were removed from untreated control and IR rats and treated with metformin (100 micromol/L) before ACh+/-LNNA. MAP and insulin levels were improved in IR-metformin compared with IR-placebo rats. Maximal relaxation (E(max)) to ACh was enhanced in IR-metformin (92+/-2%) compared with IR-placebo rats (44+/-4%) (P<0.05). Relaxation in response to ACh+LNNA was greater in IR-metformin (33+/-4%) than in IR-placebo rats (12+/-4%) but remained depressed compared with control rats (E(max)=68+/-5%). The control group was not affected by metformin. In vitro treatment of arteries with metformin in response to ACh produced results similar to those in the experiments with metformin-treated rats. Although metformin improves metabolic abnormality in IR rats, this action does not appear to mediate its effect on vascular function. Both in vivo and in vitro metformin improved ACh-induced relaxation in IR rats to control levels, apparently through nitric oxide-dependent relaxation. These data suggest that metformin improves vascular function through a direct mechanism rather than by improving metabolic abnormalities.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Animals; Blood Pressure; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diabetic Angiopathies; Endothelium, Vascular; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; In Vitro Techniques; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Male; Metformin; Nitric Oxide; Nitroarginine; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Triglycerides; Vasodilation

Diabetes is associated with cerebrovascular disease and impaired autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of acute glucose exposure on basal tone and myogenic reactivity of isolated rat cerebral arteries.. Posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs, n = 38) were dissected from male Wistar rats and mounted on glass cannulas in a system that allowed control of transmural pressure (TMP) and measurement of lumen diameter. Arteries were exposed to various concentrations of glucose, and the amount of basal tone and reactivity to TMP was measured. The effect of elevated glucose on cerebral endothelial modulation of basal tone was determined by mechanical denudation and the use of inhibitors of both nitric oxide and prostaglandin synthesis.. Arteries exposed to 44 versus 5.5 mmol/L glucose developed significantly less intrinsic tone (percent tone, 2 +/- 1% versus 28 +/- 2%; P < .01) and responded passively to increases in TMP. Preexisting tone present in 5.5 mmol/L glucose was eliminated on exposure to 44 mmol/L glucose, which decreased tone from 30 +/- 5% to 5 +/- 4% (P < .01). Glucose-induced dilations were concentration dependent such that half-maximal responses were obtained at 25 +/- 2 mmol/L. Endothelial removal abolished this effect, and the amount of tone was similar in 5.5 versus 44 mmol/L glucose (percent tone, 46 +/- 6% versus 49 +/- 5%; P > .05), as did inhibition of nitric oxide production with 0.3 mmol/L nitro-L-arginine (percent tone, 52 +/- 4% versus 46 +/- 3%; P > .05); however, blockade of the cyclooxygenase pathway with indomethacin (10(-5) mmol/L) only partially inhibited the dilation to glucose (percent tone, 32 +/- 3% in 5.5 mmol/L versus 12.4 +/- 3% in 44 mmol/L; P < .01).. Acute glucose exposure dilates arteries with intrinsic tone and impairs cerebrovascular reactivity to TMP via an endothelium-mediated mechanism that involves nitric oxide and prostaglandins.

Topics: Animals; Blood Pressure; Cerebral Arteries; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; Diabetic Angiopathies; Endothelium, Vascular; Enzyme Inhibitors; Glucose; Indomethacin; Male; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitroarginine; Prostaglandins; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Vasodilation; Vasodilator Agents

To determine the roles played by kinins/nitric oxide and angiotensin II in the antitrophic effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors on mesenteric arteries after 3 weeks of streptozotocin diabetes by using blockers both of the angiotensin II AT1 receptor and of the bradykinin B2 receptor.. Male diabetic Wistar rats were randomly allocated to receive no treatment, the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors perindopril or ramipril, the AT1 receptor blocker ZD7155, the bradykinin B2 receptor blocker Hoe 140, the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester, concomitant administration of perindopril plus subcutaneous Hoe 140, perindopril plus NG-nitro-L-arginine, or ramipril plus Hoe 140 (Hoe 140 administered via an Alzet mini-osmotic pump).. After 3 weeks, the rats were killed, their blood collected and their mesenteric vessels removed. The mesenteric vascular weight was measured and the media wall: lumen area ratio was assessed using quantitative histomorphometric techniques.. Diabetes was associated with an increase in mesenteric weight and media wall:lumen area ratio. The angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, perindopril and ramipril, and the AT1 receptor antagonist ZD7155 reduced blood pressure and attenuated vascular weight and media wall:lumen area ratio. Concomitant administration of an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor with the kinin antagonist Hoe 140, administered either subcutaneously or via a mini-osmotic pump, or of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine attenuated the effect of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor on the mesenteric vascular weight and wall:lumen area ratios. Treatment with Hoe 140 or NG-nitro-L-arginine alone affected none of these parameters.. The antitrophic effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors on diabetic mesenteric arteries is mediated by inhibition of angiotensin II and by actions on the kinin-nitric oxide pathway.

Topics: Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Arginine; Bradykinin; Diabetic Angiopathies; Hypertrophy; Indoles; Kinins; Male; Mesenteric Arteries; Nitric Oxide; Nitroarginine; Perindopril; Rats; Rats, Wistar