Faculty Collaboration Database

Syngeneic pancreatic islet transplantation reverses endothelial dysfunction in experimental diabetes. Diabetes 1995 Sep;44(9):1106-13

Date

09/01/1995

Pubmed ID

7657036

DOI

10.2337/diab.44.9.1106

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0028805444 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   43 Citations

Abstract

Diabetes is known to cause impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation of blood vessels. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this endothelial dysfunction is a permanent defect or is reversible after acute arginine supplementation in vitro or by surgical intervention in vivo using syngeneic pancreatic islet transplantation. Lewis rats were injected with streptozotocin to induce diabetes and were studied either 8 or 12 weeks later. Another group received syngeneic islets via intraportal injection at 8 weeks of diabetes and were allowed to become euglycemic for 4 weeks before study. Thoracic aortic rings were tethered in isolated muscle baths, contracted with a submaximal concentration of norepinephrine, and challenged with either the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine or the endothelium-independent vasodilator nitroglycerin. Relaxation to acetylcholine (but not nitroglycerin) was reduced in both 8- and 12-week diabetic rings compared with age-matched control rings. Preincubation of diabetic rings in vitro with L-arginine (but not D-arginine) restored relaxation to acetylcholine to normal to rings from 8-week but not 12-week diabetic animals. Plasma basic amino acids (arginine, lysine, and histidine) were reduced by diabetes, whereas other neutral or acidic amino acids were unchanged (phenylalanine, proline, and glutamate), reduced (serine, cysteine, threonine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and aspartate), or elevated (isoleucine, leucine, and valine). Islet transplantation restored to normal the changes in plasma amino acids. Elevation in blood glucose and total glycosylated hemoglobin in diabetic animals was normalized after islet transplantation. Furthermore, islet transplantation completely restored the defective endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine in diabetic rings.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Author List

Pieper GM, Jordan M, Adams MB, Roza AM

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Acetylcholine
Amino Acids
Animals
Aorta, Thoracic
Blood Glucose
Body Weight
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental
Endothelium, Vascular
In Vitro Techniques
Islets of Langerhans Transplantation
Male
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular
Nitroglycerin
Rats
Rats, Inbred Lew
Reference Values
Time Factors
Transplantation, Isogeneic
Vasodilation