title: Blocking 5-HT2 receptor restores cardiovascular disorders in type 1 experimental diabetes.
abstract: This study aimed to determine whether the serotonergic modulation, through selective 5-HT2receptor blockade, restores cardiovascular disturbances in type 1 diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by alloxan (150 mg/kg, s.c.) and maintained for 4 weeks. 5-HT2receptor was blocked by sarpogrelate (30 mg/kg.day; 14 days; p.o.). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR), glycaemia and body weight (BW) were monitored periodically. Animals were sacrificed at the end of the study and the heart, right kidney and thoracic aorta were removed; plasma samples were also obtained. Left ventricular hypertrophy index (LVH) and renal hypertrophy index (RH) were determined. Vascular function was studied in aorta rings; additionally, superoxide anion (O2•-) production (by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence) and lipid peroxidation (by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay) were measured. Neither alloxan nor sarpogrelate treatments altered HR, LVH or endothelium-independent relaxation. SBP, glycaemia, BW, RH, O2•-production and lipid peroxidation were significantly altered in diabetic animals compared with controls. Sarpogrelate treatment considerably decreased SBP, RH, O2•-production and lipid peroxidation. Endothelium-dependent relaxation was severely reduced in diabetic animal aortas compared to controls; sarpogrelate treatment markedly improved it. Our outcomes show that selectively blocking 5-HT2receptors has beneficial effects on impaired cardiovascular parameters in diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.|Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca (IBSAL), University Hospital of Salamanca-USAL- CSIC, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: José-Ángel
authors.initials: JÁ
authors.lastname: García-Pedraza
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.|Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca (IBSAL), University Hospital of Salamanca-USAL- CSIC, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferreira-Santos
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.|Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca (IBSAL), University Hospital of Salamanca-USAL- CSIC, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aparicio
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.|Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca (IBSAL), University Hospital of Salamanca-USAL- CSIC, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: María-José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.|Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca (IBSAL), University Hospital of Salamanca-USAL- CSIC, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Asunción
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morán