[Changes of ultrastructure and function of the aortic endothelium in streptozotocin-diabetic rats and effect of perindopril].
To investigate the alteration of ultrastructure and function of the aortic endothelium in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats and the effect of perindopril, male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group (NC), diabetes control group (DC), diabetes group treated with perindopril (2 mg.kg-1.d-1) which was administered after 4 weeks. At 4, 8, 16 weeks after injecting STZ, glucose, plasma endothelin-1 and angiotensin II were respectively measured, and we also observed aortic endothelial cell under the electron microscope.


RESULTS
In DC group, there were mitochondrial edema and vacuolization obviously in aortic endothelial cells at 8 weeks, and extensive endothelial cell necrosis and exfoliation were observed at 16 weeks, while pathological changes in the DP group were abated significantly. Plasma Ang II levels were increased significantly at different times in DC group, and plasma ET-1 levels were obviously increased at 8 weeks and greatly decreased at 16 weeks. In DP groups, plasma Ang II levels obviously decreased, ET-1 levels declined at 8 weeks and statistically elevated at 16 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
There are changes of ultrastructure and function in aortic endothelial cell in different durations of diabetes. Plasma ET-1 level may be a marker of aortic endothelial cell injury, perindopril may have protective effect on aortic endothelial cell in diabetic rats.
Zhou
M
M
Department of Endocrinology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008.
Zhong
H J
HJ
Wu
X Y
XY
D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000097:blood; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D020913:Perindopril / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D019332:Endothelin-1; D000804:Angiotensin II; D020913:Perindopril