Effects of Short-term Renovascular Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes on Cardiac Functions in Rats

Background: The cardiac effects simultaneously occurring during experimental hypertension and diabetes have rarely been investigated. This study aimed at examining the effects of short-term renovascular hypertension and type 2 diabetes on cardiac functions. Methods: Five groups (7 each) of male Sprague-Dawley rats, including a control group, a diabetes (induced by Streptozocin and Nicotinamide) group, a renovascular hypertensive (induced by placing Plexiglas clips on the left renal arteries) group, a sham group, and a simultaneously hypertensive-diabetic group, were used. The animals’ hearts were used for isolated heart studies, and the indices of cardiac functions and coronary effluent creatine kinase MB were measured. The results were analyzed using One-way Analysis of Variance, followed by the Duncan Multiple Range test. Results: The diabetic group had a significantly lower rate of rise (-29.5%) and decrease (-36.18%) in ventricular pressure, left ventricular developed pressure (-28.8%), and rate pressure product (-35%), and significantly higher creatine kinase MB (+166%) and infarct size (+36.2%) than those of the control group. The hypertensive group had a significantly higher rate of rise (+12.17%) and decrease (+16.2%) in ventricular pressure, left ventricular developed pressure (+16%), and rate pressure product (+24%), and significantly lower creatine kinase MB (-30%) and infarct size (-27%) than those of the sham group. Simultaneously, the diabetic and hypertensive rats had a significantly higher rate of rise (+32%) and decrease (+30.2%) in ventricular pressure, left ventricular developed pressure (+17.2%), and rate pressure product (+22.2%), and significantly lower creatine kinase MB (-24%) and infarct size (-16.2%) than those of the diabetic group. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the simultaneity of hypertension with type 2 diabetes attenuated diabetes-induced cardiac impairment.