Impaired Contraction and Endothelium-Dependent Relaxation in Isolated Resistance Vessels from Patients with Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

1. An increase in capillary blood flow and pressure has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic microangiopathy. Abnormal vascular reactivity of the resistance vasculature may play a contributory role by permitting alterations in regional haemodynamics. 2. We have studied the contractile behavior of isolated resistance arteries from normotensive patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and non-diabetic matched control subjects. Contractile responses to potassium (123 mmol/l), noradrenaline (10−8 to 3 × 10−5 mol/l) and angiotensin II (10−11 to 3 × 10−8 mol/l) were recorded. Relaxation studies were performed in maximally contracted vessels using acetylcholine (10−8 to 10−5 mol/l) and bradykinin (10−9 to 10−6 mol/l) (endothelium-dependent) and sodium nitroprusside (10−9 to 10−5 mol/l) (endothelium-independent). 3. The maximal contractile responses to potassium (P < 0.05), noradrenaline (P < 0.01) and angiotensin II (P < 0.01) were depressed in diabetic patients. Relaxation to acetylcholine was impaired (P < 0.05), but was normal with bradykinin and sodium nitroprusside. 4. These results suggest that there may be a defect in the endothelial cell acetylcholine receptor excitation-coupling in diabetes mellitus rather than a decreased ability to synthesize and release endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Impaired contraction and endothelium-dependent relaxation of resistance arteries in diabetic patients may contribute to the development of diabetic microangiopathy by causing an increase in tissue blood flow, a rise in capillary pressure and, as a result, an increase in vascular permeability.