Diabetes, Vol 38, Issue 9 1109-1113, Copyright © 1989 by American Diabetes Association
Autoregulation of renal blood flow in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats
Y Hashimoto, T Ideura, A Yoshimura and S Koshikawa
Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
Autoregulation of renal blood flow (RBF) was studied in male Wistar rats.
We studied 11 control rats, 11 rats with severe streptozocin (STZ)-induced
hyperglycemia (diabetic group), and 10 moderately hyperglycemic rats made
diabetic by injection of STZ but given 2-8 U s.c. insulin daily
(insulin-treated group). RBF was measured by an electromagnetic flowmeter
during stepwise reduction of renal perfusion pressure 4-8 wk after
injection of STZ (older group). RBF autoregulation of the diabetic group
was impaired compared with the control group. In the insulin-treated group,
autoregulatory capability was less attenuated than in the diabetic group.
The average autoregulatory index (ARI) of the diabetic group (0.61 +/-
0.05) was greater than that of the control (0.24 +/- 0.02, P less than .01)
and the insulin-treated (0.33 +/- 0.07, P less than .05) groups. To study
the relationship between autoregulation and the duration of diabetes, an
autoregulatory study was also made in a group of 22 rats (11 diabetic and
11 control) that were tested 2-3 wk after injection of STZ (younger group).
The ARI in the younger diabetic group was smaller than that in the older
diabetic group (P less than .05). The results suggest that in uncontrolled
diabetes RBF fluctuates with blood pressure change, and protection against
hypertensive injury of glomerular capillaries may be diminished.
Autoregulatory disability develops with time, and insulin treatment
diminishes impairment of autoregulation. These findings may also explain
the adverse consequences of hypertension on the progression of diabetic
nephropathy in poorly controlled diabetes.