Effects of tetramethylpyrazine phosphate on pancreatic islet microcirculation in SD rats

Abnormal islet microcirculation impetus the insulin production and accelerates progression of Type 1 and 2 diabetes. In this study, we investigated whether tetramethylpyrazine phosphate (TMPP), a vasoactive substance, could regulate the islet microcirculation and insulin concentration and improve glycaemia in SD rats.

SD rats were randomly divided into two groups, the control and TMPP groups. Each group was further divided into three subgroups according to the intravenous injection of either saline, 15 or 30% glucose. The non-radioactive microsphere technique was adopted to measure the organ blood flow. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) blocker L-NAME was used to address whether NO was involved in mediating the vasoactive effects of TMPP.

In the TMPP group, TMPP increased the PBF (pancreatic blood flow), IBF (islet blood flow), and fIBF (fraction of islet blood flow out of pancreatic blood flow) by 57, 76 and 47%, respectively, after 30% glucose infusion, compared with the control, indicating that TMPP could regulate islet microcirculation. Furthermore, TMPP induced a 66% elevation of IBF and 37% of fIBF in the 30% glucose subgroups than the 15% ones. In 30% glucose-treated subgroups, TMPP improved the blood glucose concentration by 10%, compared with the control (19.3 ± 0.64 vs 17.32 ± 0.56 mmol/l, P < 0.05), without influencing the insulin secretion. Blocking NO formation prevented the enhanced PBF and IBF, evoking by TMPP with 30% glucose.

TMPP can regulate the pancreatic islet microcirculation and possess a hypoglycemia effect after glucose infusion through affecting the islet microcirculation.