The study was undertaken to determine whether the phenomenon of endothelium-dependent relaxation was impaired in the spontaneously diabetic BB Wistar rat. Endothelium-dependent relaxation in the aorta of overtly diabetic animals was compared with that in nondiabetic BB rats. The relaxative responses were elicited in vitro to acetylcholine (−8.0 to −5.5 log M) and histamine (−7.0 to −3.0 log M) after precontraction with norepinephrine (−6.0 log M). The maximum relaxations produced by both acetylcholine and histamine expressed as percentages of the contractions to norepinephrine were significantly lower in diabetic than in nondiabetic rats. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that in diabetic BB rats there was consistent evidence of swollen cells, raised nuclei, and sloughing of nuclei in endothelial cells of the aorta. In nondiabetic animals these features were not evident. These findings suggest the presence of a functional and morphological defect in endothelial cells in the aorta of the BB rat.
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August 01 1987
Endothelium-Dependent Relaxation in Aorta of BB Rat
Shokoufeh Meraji;
Shokoufeh Meraji
Department of Medicine, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Laal Jayakody;
Laal Jayakody
Department of Medicine, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Manohara P J Senaratne;
Manohara P J Senaratne
Department of Medicine, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Alan B R Thomson;
Alan B R Thomson
Department of Medicine, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Tissa Kappagoda
Tissa Kappagoda
Department of Medicine, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. C. T. Kappagoda, 2C244 Walter MacKenzie Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R7.
Diabetes 1987;36(8):978–981
Article history
Received:
April 23 1987
Revision Received:
May 18 1987
Accepted:
May 18 1987
PubMed:
3596063
Citation
Shokoufeh Meraji, Laal Jayakody, Manohara P J Senaratne, Alan B R Thomson, Tissa Kappagoda; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxation in Aorta of BB Rat. Diabetes 1 August 1987; 36 (8): 978–981. https://doi.org/10.2337/diab.36.8.978
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