title: Vasodilation of retinal arterioles induced by activation of BKCa channels is attenuated in diabetic rats.
abstract: The large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) channels modulate the retinal vascular tone, but question of whether the impairment of the channel function contributes to abnormalities of retinal circulation has not yet been completely elucidated. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of diabetes on the vasodilation induced by activation of BK(Ca) channels. Male Wistar rats were treated with streptozotocin and experiments were performed 2 weeks later. The streptozotocin-treated animals were given drinking water containing 5% d-glucose to shorten the term in the development of retinal vascular dysfunction. The retinal vascular responses were assessed by measuring diameter of retinal arterioles in the fundus images that were captured with an original fundus camera system. In non-diabetic rats, vasodilator effects of acetylcholine on retinal arterioles were significantly reduced by iberiotoxin, an inhibitor of BK(Ca) channels. However, the inhibitory effect of iberiotoxin was not observed in diabetic rats, and the responses to the BK(Ca) channel opener BMS-191011 were almost completely abolished. The retinal vasodilator response to acetylcholine, possibly an endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor-mediated response, observed after treatment with N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and indomethacin was markedly reduced in diabetic rats. The responses to pinacidil, an opener of ATP-sensitive K(+) channels, were unchanged. These results suggest that the retinal vasodilator response mediated through mechanisms involving activation of BK(Ca) channels is diminished at the early stage of diabetes in rats. The impairment of BK(Ca) channel function may contribute to abnormal retinal hemodynamics in diabetes and consequently play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Kitasato University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
authors.forename: Asami
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Sachi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: Kunio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishii
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005947:Glucose; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051037:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel alpha Subunits; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010069:Oxadiazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D020110:Pinacidil / Q000494:pharmacology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: C480883:3-((5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)methyl)-5-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one; D001786:Blood Glucose; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; C494842:Kcnma1 protein, rat; D051037:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel alpha Subunits; D010069:Oxadiazoles; D010455:Peptides; D015221:Potassium Channels; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; C064719:iberiotoxin; D020110:Pinacidil; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D005947:Glucose; D000109:Acetylcholine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D007213:Indomethacin