Altered vasodilator role of nitric oxide synthase in the pancreas, heart and brain of rats with spontaneous type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is associated with altered regional blood flow and expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). We examined the functional role of constitutive and inducible NOS synthase (cNOS and iNOS, respectively) on regional blood flow in thiobutabarbital-anesthetized Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) and control rats via the radioactive microspheres technique. Blood flow was measured at baseline (1 h after surgery), after i.v. administration of 1400W (N-3-aminomethyl-benzyl-acetamidine, selective iNOS inhibitor, 3 mg/kg), and again after i.v. NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME, non-selective NOS inhibitor, 8 mg/kg). Both groups had similar baseline mean arterial pressure, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance, but the ZDF rats had lower heart rate relative to the control rats (272 versus 305 beats/min). Whereas 1400W did not alter mean arterial pressure or blood flow in either group, l-NAME markedly increased mean arterial pressure and total peripheral resistance, and reduced cardiac output, heart rate, blood flow and arterial conductance in all organs/tissues of both the control and ZDF rats. l-NAME caused greater vasoconstriction in the heart (1.5-times the constriction in control rats) and brain (1.5-times) of the ZDF rats, but less in the pancreas (0.6-times). Thus, cNOS had greater vasodilator control of the heart and brain, but less in the pancreas of the ZDF than control rats. iNOS has negligible influence on blood flow in both groups of rats.