Extended longitudinal analysis of arterial pressure and heart rate control in unanesthetized rats with type 1 diabetes

We recorded arterial pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in type-1 diabetic rats vs. controls for > 6 months. Diabetic rats (DIAB) were maintained on insulin from the day glucose >250 mg/dl (“Day 0”). Weight was similar between groups until ~ 3 weeks before Day 0 when the weight in DIAB transiently lagged the controls (CONT); this difference was maintained throughout the study, but both groups otherwise gained weight in parallel. Plasma glucose attained 371 ± 109 (SD) mg/dl by day 1 in DIAB. Mean BP was similar across groups, and declined through the initial 4-6 months in both the CONT (at − 0.06 ± 0.04 mm Hg/day) and in the DIAB (at − 0.14 ± 0.21 mm Hg/day; NS vs. CONT). HR in the CONT (Month 1: 341 ± 13 bpm) exceeded DIAB (325 ± 25 bpm) through ~ 6 months after Day 0, and also decreased progressively over this period in CONT (− 0.19 ± 0.14 bpm/day) and DIAB (− 0.29 ± 0.23 bpm/day; NS vs. CONT) before leveling. The BP power within 0.35-0.45 Hz changed during the 90 min before vs. after the transition from dark to light, and light to dark; there were no between group differences. The slope of the log-log linear portion of the BP power spectrum between 1.0/h and 1/min was similar across groups, and increased in both from month 1 to month 6. Regulatory mechanisms maintain similar profiles in BP and HR in diabetic vs. control animals through the initial half year of the disease.