The effect of chronic alloxan- and streptozotocin-induced diabetes on isolated rat heart performance

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Abstract
Cardiac disease is a common secondary complication appearing in chronic diabetics. Isolated perfused working hearts obtained from both acute and chronic diabetic rats also exhibited cardiac functional abnormalities when exposed to high work loads. Cardiac performance was studied at various time points after induction of diabetes in rats to determine exactly when functional alterations appeared and whether these alterations progressed with the disease state. Female Wistar rats were made diabetic by a single i.v. injection of either alloxan (65 mg/kg) or streptozotocin (STZ 60 mg/kg). Cardiac performance was assessed at 7, 30, 100, 180, 240 and 360 days after induction of diabetes using the isolated perfused working heart technique. No changes were observed in the positive and negative dP/dt [change in pressure with time] development at various atrial filling pressures in the diabetic hearts 7 days after treatment. Alloxan diabetic rat hearts exhibited depressed left ventricular pressure and positive and negative dP/dt development when perfused at high atrial filling pressures, at 30, 100 and 240 days after treatment. STZ diabetic rat hearts exhibited depressed cardiac performance at high atrial filling pressures at 100, 180 and 360 days after treatment, but not at 30 days after treatment. Control hearts exhibited slight but significant depressions in cardiac function with age. Apparently, cardiac functional alterations appear in diabetic rats about 30 days after induction and progress with the disease. These alterations may indicate the development of a cardiomyopathy.

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