Alpha lipoic acid treatment improved endothelium-dependent relaxation in diabetic rat aorta

Abstract

The aim of this study was to ascertain the effects of α-lipoic acid (ALA) treatment on relaxant responses of acetylcholine (ACh) and isoprenaline (ISO) in aortic rings precontracted with serotonin (5-HT, 10 -6M) obtained from streptozotocin (STZ) -induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in the rats by 50 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) via an intraperitoneal injection. Rat body and aorta weights were measured. The isometric tension to ACh (10 -9-3×10 -6 M) and ISO (10 -9-10 -4M) of 5-HT-precontracted diabetic and non-diabetic rat (control), diabetic-ALA-treated, and ALA-treated aortas, in organ baths were recorded. Six weeks after STZ treatment blood glucose was elevated compared to control rats. In aortic rings from diabetic rats ACh and ISO-induced relaxations were impaired whereas endothelium- independent relaxation to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was unaffected. ALA (100 mg/kg/day) treatment for 5 weeks enhanced ACh and ISO-induced relaxation in diabetic aortas. This recovering effect was via NO because prevented by incubating the vessels with N G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, a NOS inhibitor). It may be assumed that ALA treatment in vivo, can protect against impaired vascular responsiveness in STZ-induced diabetic rats. © 2011 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.