title: Ventricular arrhythmias following coronary artery occlusion in the streptozotocin diabetic rat.
abstract: The following investigation was designed to assess whether or not streptozotocin diabetes has an influence on the number and severity of ventricular arrhythmias following coronary artery occlusion in the conscious rat. In addition, electrocardiogram and haemodynamic data were compared between streptozotocin groups and control. Diabetes was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats with streptozotocin (55 mg/kg iv) and left anterior descending coronary artery ligation was performed either 6 or 9 weeks later. Rats were allowed to recover from preparative surgery for 1 week prior to ligation. Streptozotocin diabetes (untreated or insulin controlled) appeared to have little influence on the variables tested. When exposed to equivalent degrees of ischaemia (the rat is a microangiopathy-resistant species), the streptozotocin diabetic rat heart was not appreciably more prone to arrhythmias of any type compared with control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Beatch
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: McNeill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003331:Coronary Vessels; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains