Contractile responses and calcium mobilization in renal arteries of diabetic rats

The causes of diabetes-associated change of renal artery vasomotion have not been established. We investigated both contractile responses to KCl and norepinephrine (NE) in renal arteries of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes and age-matched controls and the effects on Ca2+ mobilization. Renal arteries from diabetics had greater maximum contractile responses to KCl and NE, but the threshold concentrations and EC50 values of KCl and NE were similar in controls and diabetics. The concentration-response for Bay K 8644, a dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel agonist in the presence of 20 mM KCl was significantly greater in diabetics than in controls. The maximum contractile responses to Ca2+ in the presence of 10(-6) M NE were significantly (P less than 0.05) greater in diabetics than in controls. The increased contractile response at low concentrations of Ca2+ (0.01-0.05 mM) was inhibited in both preparations by 10(-6) M nifedipine, but at high concentrations of Ca2+ (0.1-2.5 mM) the inhibition by nifedipine was significantly less in diabetics than in the controls. 45Ca2+ uptake had significantly greater resting levels in diabetics than in controls. The uptake of 45Ca2+ induced by 10(-5) M NE was significantly greater in diabetics than in controls, and 10(-7) M prazosin diminished both responses. The results suggest hyperreactivity of contractile responses to KCl or NE, and hyperpermeability of renal artery smooth muscle membrane to Ca2+ in streptozotocin-induced diabetics.